What is Climate Week?

It’s Glasgow’s Climate Week, an opportunity for us all to celebrate climate action. It is important that we all feel empowered to take action and the first step in this could be to learn more about what we mean by climate change. This blog will demystify climate change and provide some definitions of important terms. Read to find out more or to refresh your understanding.

So what is Climate Change?

Climate change is the long-term changes in temperatures and weather patterns. The changes can be due to natural causes, like an erupting volcano, or due to human activity, like burning fossil fuels, farming and deforestation. The science tells us that the climate change we are experiencing now is driven by human activity.

Climate change is a global issue, and the impacts of increasing temperatures are being felt across the world. In Scotland we are experiencing – warmer wetter winters and hotter drier summers. This is happening occur in Glasgow too, with the changing weather causing greater flooding, increased storm events and extreme heat events. These impacts affect people, can cause damage to property and risks to business.

Climate Adaptation is when we take action to better prepare and protect against unavoidable climate impacts, whilst also being able to take advantage of any opportunities that occur. Adaptation Scotland's Climate Ready Places can help to understand what adaptation means for you and you can find out more information about climate impacts and climate adaptation for Glasgow in the Adaptation Plan.

Climate Mitigation means reducing the emission of greenhouse gases that are released to the atmosphere. Climate change is happening now, but we have an opportunity to change our behaviours and slow or stop rising temperatures. This means we need to stop emitting greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

We have all heard that Glasgow has a Net Zero Carbon target of 2030 for the city. But what does this mean? Net Zero means that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions we are creating and therefore are putting into the atmosphere is the same as the emissions being taken out of the atmosphere by sinks such as forests, peatlands and the ocean. To reach Net Zero Carbon for the City, we need to support and enhance the natural environment to help carbon sinks as well as reducing our emissions significantly. There is a lot of work already ongoing through Glasgow's Climate Plan .

But what can we all do to help?

Understanding where your actions create emissions can be a helpful first step. Most of the things we do every day will create emissions, for example by driving cars, heating our home or using electricity. Not only does the things we do create emissions, but so does the things we buy. A good place to start is to have a think about where you are creating emissions. Once you know your main sources of emissions, the next step is to look at changing the action by doing it in a different way.

It is also important that we all prepare for climate change impacts. Again, the first step is to think about where you think climate change will impact you and consider what you could do to help. For example, you might want to help your garden to soak up water and prevent flooding of your local area.

One of the best climate actions we can take is to speak to each other and learn from what is already going on. That’s why Glasgow’s Climate Week is so important. Keep up to date with everything going on across the city this week by checking our social media and the webpage. You might find out something new or be inspired to take action!