The City Council of Glasgow, Scotland has approved the Glasgow Green Deal – a nine-year action plan designed to transform the city’s economy and address climate and ecological emergencies.
In preparation for the Green Deal project, the council previously created a Green Economy Unit, and drafted a regional Just Transition Skills Action Plan (JTSAP) which identifies the sectors at risk from the transition to net-zero, and provides the support, reskilling and upskilling they will need. They also continued to develop the Glasgow Climate Investment framework – which supports mitigation and adaptation activities -and have developed a dedicated Green Business grant to be launched soon.
The framework includes six activities which will further deliver the desired outcomes of the Green Deal:
- ensuring the city enables and directs the transition to net-zero by building capacity and changing attitudes and cultures;
- ensuring a strong framework of support for people affected by the transition to a net-zero, climate resilient economy;
- mobilizing capital so the city can meet infrastructure investment needs of the Glasgow Climate Plan;
- innovating to address the complex barriers to widespread decarbonisation and adaptation by developing, showing, and scaling systemic solutions;
- mobilizing a critical mass of businesses, community groups and residents to support the transition and involve them in the politics needed for a new green economy; and
- building momentum by mainstreaming fair mitigation and adaptation through all economic development activity.
“Good progress has been made in laying the foundations of our Glasgow Green Deal, as we plan for a future economy compatible with net-zero,” said councilor Angus Millar.. “Our new action plan builds on a number of programs already in place or shortly to be live which are supporting the transition to a green city economy. The council and our city partners will work together to support businesses to transition to net-zero, promote climate innovation and identify ways to finance the green infrastructure changes we need. The Glasgow Green Deal can underpin a shift in our city economy over the coming decade to make the city more resilient and realize the environmental and economic benefits that we all want.”