Net-Zero Carbon by 2030

Scotland's Climate Week

By Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council (SNP – Langside ward)

During Scotland’s Climate Week 2025, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the great progress that has happened in the four months since Glasgow’s Climate Week, and signpost to upcoming projects and the opportunities for everyone to get involved in climate action across the city.

As highlighted in Glasgow’s Climate Plan, one of our key areas of work continues to be progressing towards our Net Zero carbon target by 2030. This summer, we launched the Community Renewable Energy Framework (CREF), a project which aims not only to increase the number of renewable energy projects across the city, but also to support communities to develop and own these projects themselves. As outlined on our CREF website, community-led renewable energy means designing and creating renewable energy projects close to where they will be used, with the resulting benefits returned directly to the community. The CREF supports the development of projects by providing a framework for communities to follow as they move through from initial proposals to delivery. Communities in Easterhouse and Milton are currently working with us on their project ideas and we are looking forward to seeing how these develop. If you want to know a bit more about the CREF, please visit the dedicated CREF webpages.

In June, Glasgow also welcomed representatives from 23 cities across the world as part of the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA) 10th anniversary annual meeting. The CNCA supports leading global cities who are focused on prosperity, social equity, resilience and better quality of life for all on a thriving planet. Hosting this visit gave us the opportunity to showcase the successes and learnings of the fantastic work across the city and hear from our CNCA partners on new and innovative ways to continue to make progress on climate action in urban areas.

This summer the Youth Climate Action Fund (YCAF) supported a second round of young people from across Glasgow to develop and deliver their projects related to climate change. The projects which were funded ranged from filmmaking, arts, changes to school grounds, writing workshops, repurposing materials and more. As well as funding activities, the YCAF provide accessible information about sustainability topics for young people through the Planting Seeds webinar series. Enabling young people to develop and lead climate projects is important to supporting a just transition and is essential for us to reach our climate targets.

I finally wanted to shine a light on the work of The Sustainable Glasgow Partnership, who supported Glasgow’s Climate Week and continue to support and drive climate action across the city. Some exciting activity from the partnership in the last few months includes:

  • An ongoing review of the Sustainable Glasgow Charter to increase climate ambitions and continue to increase membership
  • Recruitment of a new Programme Manager to support the partnership
  • Development of a Strategic Delivery Framework for city greening by the Greening the City Hub
  • Continued support for businesses and organisations on their net zero journeys by the Green Economy and Private Sector hub

If you’re interested in learning more about the Sustainable Glasgow Partnership, please get in touch by emailing SustainableGlasgow@glasgow.gov.uk.

Looking forward to the next 6 months, we will be finalising the review of Glasgow’s existing Climate Plan and Adaptation Plan, combining both plans, and integrating the data and science of our Net Zero Routemap to help shape priorities for action. This process will leave us with one overarching plan that outlines our priorities for climate and adaptation action. This new plan is for everyone across the city, and therefore we need input from you. In late 2025 and early 2026, we will host a consultation period which is the opportunity for everyone to provide their thoughts on the draft plan. We are excited to share this with you and encourage as many people as possible to help us understand your views on the priorities for action. Look out for information on social media and on the Glasgow City Council website to find out how you can get involved and have your say.

Hopefully this short overview brings to life the range of different types of climate action that are happening in Glasgow, right now. However as always, it is important that we all continue to take action so if you want to find out more about climate projects and how you can get involved, get in touch at Sustainability@glasgow.gov.uk.