Scottish local authorities continue to make great progress as part of the SCIS programme. Some highlights include:
- Aberdeenshire became the first local authority to publish its ClimateView dashboard as part of the SCIS programme.
- Over 580 interventions have been added to ClimateView dashboards across all 32 local authorities.
- 94% of local authorities have begun the process of co-creating and implementing tailored support plans.
In mid-August, SCIS delivered a workshop exploring the idea of transition teams and how local authorities can leverage their broad expertise across service areas to implement more effective, joined-up climate interventions. Twenty-four local authorities came to learn, engage and discuss the topic, including two excellent spotlight presentations from Glasgow City Council and West Dunbartonshire Council who have already implemented similar structures to accelerate climate action in their local areas.
Following a successful just transition event in August, SCIS has published the first of a series of briefings highlighting some of the key social benefits and estimated monetary value of climate interventions that could be implemented by local authorities across Scotland. Our Policy and Research Officer Sarah Bissett explains more about the co-benefits of climate action. You can also read the first briefing covering Active Travel.
In late-September, SCIS was delighted to be showcased at New York Climate Week 2025 in collaboration with the Scottish Government, COSLA, ICLEI and ClimateView. Our Co-Director Clare Wharmby joined Gillian Martin MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, to celebrate the programme as a world-leading example of multi-level climate governance in action. You can read the full case study here.
Upcoming workshops
Over the coming months, SCIS will continue to deliver workshops and tailored support for local authority users. We have begun our SCIS Refresh series, with monthly sessions covering the key aspects of the programme with space for questions and discussion. We are also rolling out Tempo Analysis and Target Balancing workshops to support users to evidence the scale and pace of action required across service areas to meet local and national climate targets.
Beyond programme delivery for our core users, we continue our strategic engagement with external partners. SCIS will be showcased as part of the Just Transition Summit 2025 on 29 October. We will also be presenting at COSLA’s annual conference on Thursday 14 November at 5pm. We would love to see and speak to you there.
New staff
Finally, we are delighted to have onboarded three new team members over recent months. Alex Rathmell has joined the IS as Capacity Building Manager for SCIS; and Harrison Clark and Maja Pitcairn have joined as Data Officers on the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute side of the programme. We are lucky and grateful to have them on board.
For further information on any of the above, please contact info@climateintelligenceservice.scot. Keep up to date with the programme by following us on LinkedIn, and find out more about our progress by signing up to our newsletter here and read previous newsletters here.