With just over a month to go until Glasgow hosts COP26, Glasgow City Council has made a progressive move to ban big polluters from public venues for the duration of the event in early November.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference has been the talk of the town for months now and is the opportunity for the country to be a key voice in the global discussion.
The move from Glasgow City Council means that businesses who “deny, ignore or wilfully contribute to catastrophic climate change” will be banned from public buildings during the conference.
It’s great to see this strong stance the council to highlight that they will not support polluters, especially during the conference.
I believe this is a step in the right direction – it’s believed to be first time a host city has made a move like this to counteract businesses who may be trying to profit from the event.
As you can imagine, there will be plenty of companies who aren’t climate change ambassadors but want to jump on the bandwagon when the event comes to Glasgow. But the city is saying a firm no to greenwashers.
Not only does it make a good impression on this global stage – it also encourages companies to look more closely at their green credentials.
Naturally an event of this scale taking puts Scotland in the spotlight when it comes to climate change, and sadly a recent survey has painted a sad picture of our progress so far.
Research from the firm Grant Thornton reveals only half of Scottish businesses have set up a net zero strategy ahead of COP26.
The stats are disappointing, and a third of the companies surveyed admit they have not even calculated their carbon emissions for the last year.
This is a major issue, and a poor show from the host country of the biggest climate conference of the year.
However it’s important to explore why this is the case, after all 50 per cent is a considerable proportion of businesses, so why are they struggling to put environmental plans in place?
The research suggests the lack of support and direction for this market is what was holding senior management back.
While this is far from perfect, I guess it means it’s not that they’re unwilling – many feel unable to take action as they don’t know where to start and how to implement a successful strategy. So it’s more important than ever to provide guidance and resources that will assist them in making meaningful changes.
Another concern as we approach COP26 is the protests which are currently taking place in London right now.
Extinction Rebellion are demonstrating in the UK’s capital until Friday which is causing major disruption. London is experiencing significant road closures, public transport delays and police officers have been deployed to ensure the safety of the public.
I absolutely respect the right to peaceful protest and I sincerely hope it remains so and doesn’t get out of hand. Violent protest only ever undermines a cause and diminishes support in my opinion. This would also put huge pressures on the Metropolitan Police who have revealed that policing previous occupations has already cost some £50m, and impact on businesses in the area.
Looking back to Glasgow, most conference events will take place in the SEC Centre, the Armadillo and the SSE Hydro and I dread to think of the impact it would have if this area of the city was targeted by protests.
But let’s stay optimistic and look at the positives – we should be proud to be the host country and as well as highlighting what we do well, it is forcing us to look at what we do less well and to address that.
As we begin to get back on track from multiple lockdowns and the pandemic, this will need to be a key focus for the government, councils and businesses across Scotland to ensure we meet our targets and play our part in the fight against climate change.
Airbnb regulation in Edinburgh sparks renewed debate
The debate around people turning their properties into short term rentals through portals such as Airbnb has been raging for years.
However, it seems the pandemic has brought the conversation to the fore again, and as Edinburgh makes moves to become the first city in the UK to make Airbnb hosts apply for planning permission, I’ve been thinking about the pros and cons.
It’s impossible not to sympathise with the Edinburgh residents who have shared horror stories of feeling unsafe in their own homes due to neighbouring flats being turned into hen and stag hotspots, with guests coming and going and making their lives a misery with non-stop music and partying.
However, it is estimated self-catering accommodation brings hundreds of millions to the Scottish economy each year, and following the dreadful 18 months we’ve just had, our tourism industry is certainly in dire need of a boost.
Proposals from the City of Edinburgh Council will see planning controls implemented along with a licensing regime in a bid to manage the concentration of short-term rental properties across the city, but there are many fierce opponents who believe this will have a negative impact on the economy.
It’s a tricky situation. Of course, nobody should feel like they’re being forced out of their own home, and there is no excuse for the antisocial behaviour from wayward guests, but I fear too much red tape could negatively impact our tourism sector.
I’ll be interested to see how the situation plays out and I hope a conclusion is reached which can please those on both sides of the debate.
It Made Me Laugh
It’s been a bad week for fast food fans. First Nando’s ran out of chicken, and just as people were beginning to recover from that ordeal, McDonald’s announced there was a shortage of milkshakes.
Supply chain issues forced the food giant to pull the much-loved milkshake from its menus across Scotland, England and Wales, and customers were less than happy with the news.
I couldn’t help but laugh when watching a tongue-in-cheek news report about the milkshake shortage where unsuspecting McDonald’s customers in Scotland were asked for their views.
One man told the reporter he was “distraught” when asked for his feelings on the matter, and the clip has since gone viral on Twitter thanks to his deadpan delivery.
He may not have got a milkshake but he seems to have acquired online celebrity status.
It Made Me Weep
We’ve seen businesses from a range of sectors hit by staff shortages recently but the most shocking example has to be the Scottish Ambulance Service.
I’ve seen an increasing number of stories about people waiting dangerously long times for ambulances, including a dementia sufferer from Angus who waited 15 hours – it must have been so distressing for them and their family.
This comes just weeks after it was revealed firefighters were being drafted in to drive ambulances to help meet demand.
It’s clear that urgent action is required to rectify the huge challenges facing this vital service. Unison has already warned staff are getting burnt out so I hope a solution is found soon for the benefit of both staff and those who rely on this lifeline service.
