Climate advocates at the Scottish Parliament highlight that 350ppm is all our atmosphere can take

This weekend 38 Challenge Europe Climate Advocates from 12 European countries will descend on Comrie to discuss climate change, awareness raising and education. Comrie has been chosen as the UK venue for this British Council event and will be at the centre of Europe from Sunday 25th October until Wednesday 28th October 2009.

The teams of Climate Advocates from across Europe will come together to share progress on their particular climate change related projects and be inspired and challenged by each other, invited guests and the local Comrie community. Projects range from local food production, promoting urban sustainability and carbon-friendly entrepreneurism to environmental art and providing information and support to encourage business led environmental change. Advocates will be staying at the award winning Comrie Croft with activities and workshops based in and around Comrie. 

Dr Conor Snowden, Science and Climate Change Advisor, British Council Scotland said, “We are impressed with the drive and action of Comrie Development Trust and the fantastic facilities at Comrie Croft and therefore we are absolutely positive that the projects will gain a significant momentum.”

Comrie has been successful in attracting this year's UK event to the village through the work of Comrie Development Trust's Carbon Challenge Project, one of four national exemplars for the Scottish Government's Climate Challenge Fund. This event follows the success of the Comrie Climate Change Conference for Communities held in June this year and firmly cements Comrie's position as a leading community in the climate change debate.

Climate Advocates attending the UK event will have travelled from Hungary, Greece, Czech Republic, Turkey, Finland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Northern Ireland, Ireland and the UK itself.
 

Czech Climate Advocates expressed active support for the organisers of Eco festival Seven Miracles in Krasna lipa in the last weekend of September 2009. On Saturday, Tomas Miler introduced his project which aspires to contribute to solving the energy crisis in Western Kenya, Africa. The main idea of his attempt is to teach local farmers to produce enough wood to cover their needs as well as to decrease their wood consumption while cooking on open fires. The project, therefore, supports the use of stoves and solar cookers. Sunday afternoon was dedicated to climate friendly educational activities and games for the public. Visitors to the festival could learn how long it takes for different kinds of trash to decompose; talk about ecological means of travelling or prove their knowledge while completing a climate quiz.
Czech Climate Advocates are especially dedicated to educational activities and awareness raising in their project ideas.
 

The international climate camp in Slovenia came to an end with the presentation of the participants’ ideas for tackling climate change in the Slovenian parliament.

1. Binding Targets for CO2 concentrations that give us a realistic chance of staying under a 2°C rise
2. An alternative to GDP as a measure of progress
3. To get the prices right: reflect the true environmental and social cost
4. Finance for structural change to low carbon transportation, green buildings and food production
5. To Ease Technological Transfer to developing countries
6. To address global population growth
7. An adequate contribution to the adaptation fund for developing countries
8. A global sectoral approach to emissions reduction
9. An agreement to establish mandatory targets at a national level for renewable energy production
10. For all countries to establish a Ministry dedicated to climate change to ensure implementation of agreed targets

30 young Climate Advocates from six countries, who are all engaged in the British Council’s Challenge Europe project, came together in the mountains of Slovenia to define their own top ten priorities for action on climate change. These ideas are targeted at both the forthcoming UNFCCC conference in Copenhagen and at wider global issues that affect our approach to climate change.

Nordic Climate Solutions took place at the Bella Centre in Copenhagen only three months before the Centre is to host COP15. The conference provided an important networking opportunity for businesses, politicians, researchers and Climate Advocates concerned with climate change.

As the name suggests, Nordic Climate Solutions emphasised ways to accelerate the change to a low carbon future – right here, right now – moving beyond the years old rhetoric of “yes, there is a problem, and yes, we need to do something about it.” The conference was all about solutions and tried to be bold in its approach – just as Challenge Europe Climate Advocates are in their endeavours. Read more about Nordic Climate Solutions in our report.