The University of Aberdeen has joined a partnership designed to combat the effects of climate change in North East Scotland.
The formal launch of the North East Scotland Climate Change Partnership (NESCCP) took place on Wednesday, May 21, at the All Energy Conference in Aberdeen.
The Partnership's Climate Change Declaration was signed by partners including Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray councils, the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University, major public sector organisations and representatives of the local business community.
The initiative was inspired by an Aberdeenshire Council report into the regional implications of climate change that recommended a dialogue with local partners. A series of meetings, chaired by Aberdeenshire councillor Martin Ford, agreed a role and remit for what is thought to be one of the first partnerships of its kind between such a diverse array of public and private sector organisations.
As well as raising awareness of the responsibilities of every individual and organisation in the North East of Scotland to play a part in tackling the challenges presented by climate change, a key role of the partnership will be to highlight the opportunities that this brings.
The aims of the partnership are to:
· Lead by example
· Share and communicate good practice
· Learn from the experience of others
· Encourage discussion and debate
· Identify and facilitate joint projects
· Monitor overall progress
· Encourage action from other local organisations
Signing the declaration on behalf of the University, Professor Paul Mitchell, Director of the University's Institute of Energy Technologies said: "The University of Aberdeen is delighted to build on its already extensive links with public and private sector organisations through this exciting initiative.
"The University of Aberdeen has significant expertise in a number of areas that will be vital in combating climate change, including renewable energy but also in areas such as transport and biodiversity. We already work closely with industry partners to feed our research findings into consultancy activities and help develop, through Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes and post graduate teaching activities, the practical skills to help industry tackle climate change.
"This Partnership will help promote that collaborative approach to dealing with this issue and as such is a development to be applauded."
Steve Cannon, Secretary to the University said: "The University of Aberdeen is delighted to participate in this collaborative regional initiative and welcomes the opportunity it provides to develop a multi-stakeholder approach to tackling climate change at a local level.
"We recognise the need to take action and, alongside our research activities, we have enhanced our commitment to sustainable development in all our activities. In particular we are aware of our wider responsibility to monitor the institution's operational impact on the environment. As part of that process, the completion in 2007 of an energy efficient Combined Heat and Power plant for the Kings College campus has already reduced our carbon emissions significantly and is generating a substantial proportion of our electricity needs."
Fraser Lovie, the University's Policy Adviser for Corporate Social Responsibility said: "This declaration is about demonstrating the importance of local communities in tackling a global problem. While it is easy to focus on the scale of the problem and conclude that little can be done, only by taking individual and organisational steps can the widespread changes in behaviour that are required to tackle this issue begin. The Partnership provides a framework to build links, share best practice and reinforce this community based approach to a global problem."
In addition to the University of Aberdeen, the other founding partners of the North East Scotland Climate Change Partnership are:
Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce
Aberdeenshire Council
Cairngorm National Park Authority
Grampian Fire and Rescue Service
Grampian Police
Macaulay Institute
Moray Council
NHS Grampian
Robert Gordon University
Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Environment Protection Agency
Scottish Natural Heritage
Further details regarding the University of Aberdeen's sustainability and energy efficiency activities are available at www.abdn.ac.uk/able