8 July 2010
Environment, Energy, Economy: Scottish Solution to Global Economic and Climate Crises
Last month, Wednesday 9th June, Transform Scotland was involved in an event presented by the Edinburgh Centre on Climate change and the Public Policy Network, which aimed to highlight issues relating to climate change and sustainability. The event brought together an array of guest speakers on a wide range of topics relating to the environment, energy and the economy. The event consisted of a series of panels featuring presentations from the speakers followed by questions from the audience. Each panel was chaired by Simon Pepper, member of the Scottish Government's 2020 Delivery Group and former director of WWF Scotland.
Speakers:
- Dr. Andy Kerr, Director of the Scottish Alliance for Geosciences,
Environment and Society (SAGES)
- Paul Tetlaw, Chair, Transform Scotland
- MSP Patrick Harvie, Convener, Scottish Parliament Committee
on Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change
- Professor Janette Webb, Dept. of Sociology, University of Edinburgh
- Phil Matthews, Senior Policy Advisor, Sustainable Development
Commission Scotland
- Dr. Justin Kenrick, Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews.
Commenting on the event Matthew Byrne, Communications Officer, Transform Scotland said:
“We had a real variety of speakers who brought a wealth of perspective on how Scotland can tackle key issues relating to sustainability, climate change and the environment. The responses from the audience were of an excellent quality, and allowed for an interesting and lively debate. It is clear that there are a lot of differences on the way people choose to frame the issues discussed, but it is really encouraging to see so much engagement with the aim of building a more sustainable society.
"Of course events like this are only a part of moving our society along a more sustainable path, and as Patrick Harvie pointed out, it is up to all of us to push government to adopt the policies that will help reduce carbon emissions and improve quality of life.”
Event organiser Phillip Bruner also commented:
"I was equally impressed with contributions from the audience, as well as with the high turnout. Speaker presentations were tremendous and the overall response has been very positive. I was also inspired by the breadth and depth of knowledge in the room. The inherent complexity of these issues can sometimes be overwhelming, but no one seemed at all bothered. Instead, they seemed to have a firm grasp of the local and global challenges which lie ahead. I'm really hoping we can get everyone back for a follow-up soon."
A synopsis of the days, and speakers presentations are available as PDFs in the sidebar.