SEVEN SCOTTISH towns have been chosen to lead the way in community-level action towards net zero carbon emissions.

With funding of £146,000 from the Scottish Government, the Climate Action Towns programme will involve Alness in the Highlands, Annan in Dumfries & Galloway, Blackburn in West Lothian, Campbeltown in Argyll & Bute, Holytown in North Lanarkshire, Invergordon in Highlands, and Stevenston in North Ayrshire.

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The outcome of the work with these towns will be used to outline learning for climate action on a town scale that can then be applied across Scotland and beyond.

Just Transition Minister Richard Lochhead said: “It is clear that we must decarbonise industry and society in order to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, but we must do so in a way that is fair for everyone and leaves no one behind.

“Scotland was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, so we see it as only right that Scotland is at the forefront of this green revolution. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make changes in a way that will be good for our people, our communities, our economy and our planet – we must seize it," said Mr Lochhead.

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“Tackling the climate crisis requires all of us, at every level, to get involved. We can all make a difference. The Climate Action Towns project aims to support and empower communities to have a say on how their local areas should change as part of a fair and just transition to net zero. I look forward to seeing how the towns that are taking part rise to the challenge and find ways that will not only make a difference locally but to Scotland and indeed the world.”