The Scottish Climate Intelligence Service programme continues to make great progress building capacity and capability for area-wide emissions reduction in collaboration with local authority users. Recent highlights include:
- 695 interventions have been added to ClimateView dashboards across all 32 local authorities
- 100% of Scottish local authorities have begun the process of co-creating and implementing tailored support plans
- Co-benefits team and SCIS programme included in Scotland’s Climate Change Plan 2026-40
Refresher sessions
October saw the first of our refresher sessions, focused on Interventions - specific and measurable actions designed to target sources of emissions within a local authority area. Transferring interventions from climate-related plans and strategies to its live ClimateView dashboard is the key first step of each council’s SCIS journey. Aberdeenshire was the first local authority to publish its ClimateView dashboard as part of the SCIS programme.
Our second refresher session in November was all about ‘making the case for ClimateView’. We know that using a shared, national digital platform creates consistency, streamlines decision-making, and drives transparency and accountability in local climate action. However, engaging beyond climate teams and embedding the platform and programme in local authority decision-making is not always easy. This workshop explored the different groups that our users are engaging with and discussed how to best secure buy-in across the council. It was brilliant to hear from Falkirk and North Lanarkshire councils on the approaches that have worked for them, and to reiterate the ways in which SCIS can support our users to engage and embed this work.
Climate Change Action Plan
Part of our programme mission is to help to bridge the gap between national policy and local implementation. As such, SCIS is thrilled to have fed into and be referenced in Scotland’s Draft Climate Change Plan (CCP) 2026-40. Our co-benefits team – Andrew Sudmant, Ruaidhri Higgins-Lavery and Sarah Bissett – were consulted by Scottish Government and their methodology for calculating the socio-economic benefits of climate action has been included in the CCP (p.16). Additionally, the SCIS programme is referenced as a primary support mechanism through which Scottish Government will work with and support local authorities to deliver local climate action. To find out more about the co-benefits of climate action, you can read Sarah’s blog here and read our briefings covering active travel and electric vehicles.
Beyond our core programme delivery, SCIS continues to engage with key delivery partners across the country. From presenting to hub-West and delivering a workshop for Moray Council and Moray Climate Action Network, to being showcased at the inaugural Just Transition Summit organised by the Just Transition Commission and presenting at COSLA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition 2025, the breadth and scale of engagement and action on climate across Scotland is impressive. Climate action depends on collaboration. SCIS continues to be a ready and willing collaborator with those supporting local government to reduce area-wide emissions across Scotland.
What’s coming up?
Over the coming months, SCIS will continue to deliver workshops and tailored support for local authority users. We're hosting a spotlight session on tempo analysis and target balancing at the end of November, supporting users to evidence the scale and pace of action required across service areas to meet local and national climate targets. We will also be publishing updated area-wide emissions inventories for all 32 local authorities, and continue to deliver tailored, 1-1 support for users across the country.
Find out more
If you would like to find out more about the SCIS programme, you can visit our website here, sign up to our quarterly newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn. You can also contact the team at info@climateintelligenceservice.scot.