Scotland, climate targets, systems change, and a whole government response  

It was sad, if understandable, to see the Scottish government forced to abandon its ambitious 2030 climate targets.  At the same time, the world is seeing increasingly alarming extreme weather events, including catastrophic floods in Kazakstan, Dubai, and China.  In the UK, food production is being drastically affected by the wettest 18 months on record.   

Carbon emissions are so much a part of our economy and the fabric of our lives.  As we cross the 1.5 degree threshold, the magnitude and speed of change we now need amounts to a complete transformation in our society and economy.  It requires a response as all-encompassing as the response to COVID. The responsibility lies not just with climate teams but requires a whole government response.  Everything a local or national government department plans, implements or encourages needs to result in lower carbon emissions.   

Such a whole government response is not easy given immediate problems such as the cost of living, homelessness, and the crisis in NHS.  The only way we can sort our ‘polycrisis’ is to be joined up, to identify Shared Outcomes.  This means we need to address the cost of living crisis in a way that also reduces homelessness, decreases pressure on the NHS and reverses climate change. We need to move away from siloed thinking to joined-up action. 

The Scottish government will not be the last government to feel obliged to abandon an ambitious target.  We need a paradigm shift, which requires a joined-up approach.  That is why we build our digital platform and which governments are starting to use. 

See our blog on our Campaign for Joined-Up Government and our Young Leaders Climate Manifesto.  

If you work in government, please also join one of our webinars to learn more.