Understanding and Promoting Ethnic Minority Communities’ Public Engagement in Scotland’s Net Zero Transition is a project designed to develop an initial understanding of the current levels and forms of ethnic minorities’ engagement in climate and environmental initiatives in Scotland.
A recent workshop invited participants from community organisations, local/central public organisations, and universities across Scotland working with ethnic minorities, especially on climate and environmental issues, to:
1) identify the ecosystem of ethnic minorities’ engagement in climate and environmental action, including policy factors, key stakeholders, rural-and-urban dynamics, challenges, and opportunities; and
2) initiate a collaborative network to support ongoing collaboration in this area, particularly actions and policy development towards inclusive and just Net Zero Transition.
The workshop
To learn more about the workshop watch our video
Outcome
At the end of the workshop, participants strongly agreed that there remains a significant gap in translating community experiences and practices into effective and equitable policymaking within Scotland’s just transition to net zero. There was a shared enthusiasm to support the development of a close-knit network to address this gap, bringing practitioners, researchers, and policymakers together to support future action and impact.
Towards Inclusive Climate Action (TICA) is a new research project, led by Dr Guanyu Jason Ran, Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy at Edinburgh Napier. It is jointly funded by SAS Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Fund (25/26) and British Academy Early Career Researcher Network Seed Fund (25/26).
Participants
The workshop participations were from the following organisations: Networking Key Services (NKS), Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), SCOREscotland, Edinburgh Communities Climate Action Network (ECCAN), Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO), Mobilising Community Action Scotland (MCAS), Ethnic Minority Environmental Network (EMEN), 2050 Climate Group, Women’s Environmental Network, Active Inquiry, Global South Voices Project, Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, Zero Waste Scotland, The Welcoming Association, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University.