On 28 August 2025, the Improvement Service, Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN) and the Scottish Local Authorities’ Economic Development Group (SLAED) held an online roundtable event to advance Scotland's Just Transition from policy to practice in local government.
The session, ‘Just Transition in Local Government: From Policy to Practise’, brought together over 110 participants from across local authorities, government, and partner organisations.
Speakers from the Scottish Government, the Just Transition Commission and Future Economy Scotland, stressed that Just Transition must go beyond achieving net zero to embed fairness across energy, housing, transport and nature restoration.
Panellists highlighted the unequal impact of climate change, calling for stronger community ownership, local investment, skills development and more hopeful public messaging.
Different approaches
Local authority approaches were highlighted as well, and included:
- Shetland calling for a “Fair Share” framework to secure community benefits from energy projects
- Edinburgh highlighting its use of partnerships and tools like AI-generated “personas” to embed fairness in planning
- Glasgow presenting youth-led programmes building local skills and leadership for climate action.
Read the full event summary here.
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Report into Climate Change Training in Scottish Local Government
Findings of research carried out by IS, Scottish Government and Sustainable Scotland Network in early 2023 to explore the current landscape in Scotland of climate change training in local authorities.
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Response to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee Inquiry
Improvement Service response to the parliamentary inquiry into the role of local government and its cross-sectoral partners in financing and delivering a net-zero Scotland
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Response to the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan
Improvement Service response to the consultation on the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.
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Climate Change Case Studies
A range of case studies showcasing how councils across Scotland are tackling climate change, collected by COSLA and IS as part of the legacy of COP26.