Highland Council Climate Emergency

February 2021

Highland Council declared a Climate Emergency in May 2019, and pressure was subsequently exerted urging the need for the declaration to lead to action (see below).  Action which has still not taken place is the setting up of any mention of the Climate Emergency or the Climate Change Panel on the Climate Change page of the Council's website.

A web search uncovered a report submitted to a meeting of the council in June 2019 by the Council's Climate Change Officer Keith Masson, which provides some information about activities resulting from the Climate Emergency declaration.  We have written to Mr Masson asking that a link be set up on the Climate Change page on the council's website to this and more recent information relating to the declaration.

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August 2019

Local climate activists from TBI and Extinction Rebellion have felt the need to pressure Highland Council to follow up its declaration of a Climate Emergency with significant action.

TBI Vice-Convenor Martin Sherring emailed TBI directors

"Maggie and I had a long chat with Craig Fraser at the Fortrose Market. The main reason was to find out if there are ways the public can influence THC action following the vote on a climate emergency. It turns out, so far, they have decided to form a cross-party committee – which doesn’t really give much confidence they are taking it seriously. Not that I’ve anything against cross-party committees, but in an emergency one might have thought the committee would already have been formed, met several times, and drawn up an action plan at least.

"Anyway, we thought most people don’t know (a) the powers the Council actually has, and (b) what it’s already doing, so just asking people what they thought is unlikely to be effective. I suggested maybe the old ward forum could be brought back and convened specifically to discuss the actions that the Council can take. Craig seemed positive about that and suggested I email the BI councillors, and Di Agnew."

and subsequently emailed the three Black Isle Councillors - Gordon Adam, Jennifer Barclay and Craig Fraser - on behalf of TBI

"Transition Black Isle congratulates The Highland Council for having recognised the emergency we are facing as a result of human-caused climate change. We believe that far-reaching changes are needed to minimise the impact, and to cope with the inevitable problems that will nevertheless arise. That being the case, we think it would be advisable to engage with the public at an early stage, to demonstrate the Council’s commitment to the issue, inform people about changes they can expect and how they will be affected, and also to learn about residents’ ideas for changes that should be made.