Well-attended Highland Climate Change Conference hailed as a timely conversation about the climate emergency ahead of COP26
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Community groups in the Highlands joined politicians and other organisations for a conference to discuss ways of tackling the climate emergency.
The two-day Highland Climate Change Conference included a range of speakers and workshops.
The chairwoman of Highland Council’s climate change working group, Councillor Trish Robertson, described it as a "timely conversation" about the climate and ecological emergency ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow.
"The Highland Climate Conference has provided a lot of information on what is happening and how we should proceed," she said.
"The workshops were well-attended, and ideas and actions fully discussed.
"As we draw near to COP26 in Glasgow, this conference has been an ideal opportunity to get everyone thinking about outcomes and the way forward."
The conference featured speakers from across the sectors and included keynote speeches from UK and Scottish Government, including Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey MP Drew Hendry, Scottish Green MSP Arianne Burgess, Minister for Environment and Land Reform Mairi McAllan and the Minister for Just Transition Richard Lochhead.
It was opened by Highland Council Leader, Cllr Margaret Davidson who underlined the local authority’s commitment to tackle the environmental and ecological emergency.
The conference focused on four themes – energy, land and sea, net zero and resilient communities.
Each day was followed by a set of workshops to delve even deeper into discussion on the climate emergency and how to move forward.
The energy section explored emerging technologies which will help the energy industry reach net zero in Highland. The conference heard about developments in green hydrogen, SSE Renewables and energy-efficient school initiatives.
The land and sea section took a closer look at how land and sea can help to tackle the climate and ecological emergency. The talks included The Flow Country World, the Highland Good Food Partnership and rewilding projects.
Net zero examined what it means and explored how it can be achieved in the Highlands.
Resilient communities heard from community groups and organisations already taking action to tackle the climate emergency.
The conference will be available on the Highland Council’s dedicated Highland Climate Change Conference webpage and YouTube channel.
Highland Climate Change Conference moves into day two
