Stop Climate Chaos Scotland hosted a reception at the Scottish Parliament on 7th January 2025, sponsored by Ben Macpherson MSP. The aim of the event was to bring together MSPs, civil servants, climate campaigners, community activists and environmental NGOs to hear from expert speakers and stallholders on the strong public support for climate action and the work taking place in communities to reduce emissions and deliver a just transition.
We were delighted that nearly 100 people attended, new connections were made, and we started 2025 with a strong focus on the climate action that needs to happen this year.
Stallholders Nourish Scotland and Earth in Common. Colin Hattersley Photography
Stallholders Christian Aid Scotland. Colin Hattersley Photography
Emma James, Researcher at Climate Outreach, spoke about their Britain Talks Climate research, that shows the strong public support for action in Scotland.
Zarina Ahmad, Co-Director at Women’s Environmental Network, spoke about how to meaningfully engage with diverse communities so that their expertise and experiences are valued and no one is left behind.
SCCS Chair, Mike Robinson, spoke about the challenges to climate action in the last few years and the opportunities coming up to deliver real benefits to people’s lives in 2025 – his speech is below:
Happy new year to you all and thanks for joining us here this evening. I am pleased to welcome you here on behalf of SCCS, as we are determined to begin 2025 as we mean to continue – by driving and demanding a strong positive focus on climate action.
Can I begin by thanking Ben MacPherson MSP for hosting us tonight, and of course the Minister for his encouraging words. And if I can also thank Emma James from Climate Outreach and Zarina Ahmad for sharing their expertise with us. I’d also like to thank all of you for coming – we have had enough interest to fill this room twice over, so it’s encouraging, once again, to see the importance of this topic to so many people.
SCCS, as you know, is the largest coalition ever formed in this country, with a diverse membership of over 70 charities and growing – it comprises humanitarian NGOs, churches, health charities, unions, community groups, networks and environmental bodies – with a combined membership of well over 1 million people in Scotland. We were formed in 2006, and have campaigned consistently for action ever since.
Back in 2019, a year in which young people could not have made it more apparent how frustrated they were at the injustice of climate change, people in every walk of life woke up to their responsibility to do more. And every party in this parliament supported a call for the climate emergency. But in the intervening 5 years we have lost momentum and seen little progress, and instead largely seen delay, disagreement, and back-pedalling; culminating in the withdrawal of the 2030 targets last year, and a total failure to deliver a climate change action plan. It is as if politically and practically it is viewed as no longer a priority. Yet the consequences of inaction threaten the fundamental planks of human life and should not be seen as optional extras.
Doing something about climate change therefore is not optional. It needs collaboration across many fronts. But we are hearing too much about disagreement, within and between parties; or hearing that we cannot afford to do anything about it, or that we’ve done all the easy stuff, or that the costs of net zero are too high. But this is disingenuous – it is short sighted and the worst form of false economy.
If we continue to kick action down the road we will find ourselves pouring ever more money and heartache into its consequences. We will be forced to rebuild roads and railways, move people and communities away from harm’s way, watch as more and more property becomes uninsurable and see increasing levels of inequality and poverty exacerbated by its effects. Inaction, in short, will result in the biggest cost of all.
Declaring a climate emergency is no response, if it isn’t backed up by action. Nor is a vague corporate promise to net zero. It is like sounding a fire alarm during a fire and then standing watching it take hold, but not bothering to evacuate the building or trying to put it out (and in some cases throwing more fuel on the flames).
Yet the vast majority of people in this country want to see action on climate – not just the million plus that we speak to through our memberships, but, as Emma highlighted, the 70-80% who consistently say so in polling.
Over the next 12 months (and before we lose another year to electioneering), we need to see more action and real progress. We have been limping forwards on climate in the last few years, and faced by a wider political rise of reactionary ‘anti-science’, it is vital that we do not take any of our hard won achievements and freedoms for granted, but come together stronger than ever to secure and build upon them.
With one in five households under threat of being flooded, we need committed action on flood and storm resilience. On warm, dry homes that we can all afford to heat. On air quality and health inequality. On safe, cleaner, greener and affordable travel. On promoting farming and coastal management which will reduce emissions and increase biodiversity. On skills development for more robust jobs and industry. On explaining the choices, educating workers, and funding and delivering a just transition, in every sphere of our lives. It is essential that we get back to the level of commitment, energy and focus we had in 2019. And it needs fast and fair action throughout 2025 to get Scotland’s climate progress back on track.
We are asking this parliament to be bolder and prioritise climate action as everyone’s concern and to show leadership. To work together within and across parties; to promote the greater good not the differences; to demand better and to represent the vast majority of people who want more action on climate change. And to do more to tackle the resulting inequalities which are already impacting at home and abroad, from its consequences.
For our part, SCCS will work to build and diversify our coalition even further. We will nurture, sustain and listen to our communities to communicate their concerns, and help explain and win support for detailed change, and to create the political space for action. We will do all we can to help build a Scotland united for climate action. We will encourage our million plus supporters to challenge their politicians locally and nationally to do more. We will work with anyone and everyone who is prepared to drive a positive agenda and play a part in delivering action, and try to ensure this issue remains non-political and non-polarised… it’s too important for that. And we will bring people together around the necessary changes.
We want to see industry step up too, like it did in declaring net zero commitments in the run up to COP26 in Glasgow. They need to step up, deliver and build on these pledges.
We need Government to find the money and help make the necessary changes, instead of making excuses. After all, the only course of action we truly cannot afford is inaction.
Above all, we need to treat it like the priority it is, because otherwise we are taking huge risks with our health, our homes, our lives and our economy.
I remain positive because I work with so many people who are trying to make progress, and I know we speak for the majority. So let’s work together throughout this year to build a Scotland united for climate action.
