Less than a week left until the virtual 2020 Highland Climate Change Conference

In less than a week Highland Council will stage it’s second Highland Climate Change Conference and the virtual event will be available for anyone to join.

This week a new webpage was set up to provide details of the conference, speakers, links on how to register for the workshops and a link to the live event itself which takes place on Monday 2 November.

The conference has been organised by Highland Council’s Climate Change Co-ordinator Joe Perry and aims to discuss our regional, national and global response to the climate emergency announced by the local authority last year.

This year’s Highland Climate Change Conference will feature inspirational and knowledgeable speakers, including Roseanna Cunningham MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform), Dr Roxane Andersen (Senior Research Fellow at the Environmental Research Institute of UHI), David Whiteford (Chairman of North Highland Initiative), Lord Thurso (Chairman of Visit Scotland), Graham Neville (Area Manager, Northern Isles and North Highland of NatureScot) and David Richardson (Development Manager – Highlands and Islands, Federation of Small Businesses).

The conference and associated workshops will all take place online and on the same day and will all be free to attend.

Chair of the Climate Change Working Group, Cllr Trish Robertson said: “We are just days away now from this year’s Highland Climate Change Conference and I would again encourage anyone to sign up to the workshops or simply join the Microsoft Live based conference on the day and listen in."

She added: “The conference will focus on four vitally important topics, biodiversity and habitat, the bigger picture, personal responsibility and the green recovery.

“A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to ensure the conference is jam packed with a diverse range of speakers and we hope it will be both interesting and engaging.”

The conference will conclude with online workshops it is possible to sign up for these workshops on Eventbrite.

• Biodiversity and Habitat
  This section will take a closer look at the impact that climate change and human activity has had on biodiversity and habitats in Highland. Attendees will hear from peatland, agriculture, food systems, biodiversity and wildlife experts.
• The Bigger Picture
  This section will put our actions in Highland within a broader context of national and international targets and policy. Attendees will hear about The Highland Council’s work, Bristol City’s ‘One City Ecological Emergency Strategy’, climate adaptation, the UN sustainable development goals and how behavioural change can fight climate change.
• Personal Responsibility
  This section will examine what we as individuals can do to reduce our impact on the environment. Attendees will hear from Friends of the Earth, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Zero Waste Scotland, and Creative Carbon Scotland.
• The Green Recovery
  The economic turmoil brought by COVID-19 offers an opportunity of a green recovery to a more sustainable way of living and working. Attendees will hear about sustainable transport, renewable energy, green tourism, forestry and the role of small businesses.