Consumer Scotland, the new statutory and independent body for consumers in Scotland, is supporting Climate Week.
Climate Week – which runs from 26th September to 2nd October – encourages climate action in communities and organisations across the country.
As the statutory body designed to promote the collective interests of consumers in Scotland, Consumer Scotland’s remit includes putting consumers at the heart of the transition to Net Zero.
Current Consumer Scotland projects include exploring consumer attitudes to decarbonisation and identifying the barriers they face. The results will be used to make recommendations to policy makers to make it easier for consumers to participate in the transition to Net Zero.
Our work also includes assessing the barriers consumers face in the use of electric vehicles, investigating how the transition to low carbon heating can be achieved and addressing the impact on communities of increased flooding caused by climate change.
With more regular drier summers putting pressure on water resources we are also looking at consumer knowledge of water use and disposal in the home - and ensuring appropriate support and advice is available to the thousands of people across rural Scotland who rely on private water supplies.
Consumer Scotland Chief Executive Sam Ghibaldan said:
“Climate Week is an important initiative to raise awareness of how people, businesses and organisations can adapt to a low carbon lifestyle. Scotland has ambitious Net Zero targets and consumer choices will be key to achieving them.
“At Consumer Scotland we have already started work on projects to understand and track consumers’ priorities for, and experience of, the transition to Net Zero.
“Of particular importance will be to understand how the transition can be made easier for consumers to undertake.
“These insights will help inform the design of policy and practice across the public and private sectors towards the goal of a successful and just transition to Net Zero.”
Background
Read more about Consumer Scotland projects in our Workplan for Energy, Post and Water 2022-23.
Delivered annually since 2016, Climate Week is a Scottish Government initiative with support across Scotland’s communities and organisations, celebrating and encouraging climate action throughout the country.
Further information, resources and suggestions for Climate Week are available on the NetZeroNation website.
Consumer Scotland was set up under the Consumer Scotland Act 2020. It is independent from government and accountable to the Scottish Parliament.
We use data, research and analysis to prepare expert reports on key issues facing consumers and make recommendations to government and others on how to tackle them.