Aberdeenshire first local authority to publish and share ClimateView dashboard publicly as part of the SCIS programme.
Foundational to the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service (SCIS) programme, the ClimateView platform is a data-informed planning and communication tool procured for all 32 Scottish local authorities. ClimateView dashboards help to provide a nationally consistent yet flexible approach to how local governments share knowledge, collaborate, and attract funding to deliver more efficient and effective climate interventions nationwide.
All 32 local authorities have their own dashboard. This allows them to track progress on the actions required to reduce their emissions, while also supporting the development of emissions reductions pathways that best suit the circumstances, geography, challenges and opportunities in their local area.
Local authorities are in the process of uploading all of their current and future climate actions into their dashboards in advance of publication - over 550 at last count (!) - and we are extremely proud and grateful for the dedication officers have shown to the programme to-date.
Dashboard publication is a major milestone on a local authority's SCIS journey. While it may seem like a small step, it is an important puzzle piece to empower local authorities to take informed climate action, ensuring positive impacts locally while contributing to Scotland's national targets. More than this, a publicly available dashboard enables citizens to see the emissions profile, planned actions and progress in their local area too.
In response to publication of their dashboard, Cllr Sarah Dickinson, Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Sustainability Committee, said:
“It is a real honour to set the first piece in this nationwide picture of climate action. Through the ClimateView dashboard, we’ve shared a live overview of our emissions profile, more than 70 key transition actions that we are taking, and our progress towards net zero in an easily digestible format.
Achieving net zero is a massive undertaking, and one that requires corresponding funding, collaboration, and dedication from public and private bodies. Our hope is that this work will pave the way towards more collaboration and new funding opportunities that enable local authorities to play their part in building a sustainable and resilient future for their communities.”
It is also worth noting that these dashboards are not static. Rather, they are part of an iterative process and will be continually modified and updated by officers to reflect the steps taken and progress being made across to reduce area-wide emissions across Scotland.
In recognition of Aberdeenshire's achievement in the context of the programme, our Co-Director, Judi Kilgallon notes that:
“With all 32 Scottish local authorities and the Scottish Government jointly funding SCIS, and each working towards publishing their ClimateView dashboards, this marks a unique moment of collaboration in tackling climate change in Scotland.
"While some councils have previously published dashboards through ClimateView, we’re thrilled that Aberdeenshire is the first to do so publicly under this new programme, using a nationally consistent emissions dataset and approach.
"Local authorities across Scotland have shown strong commitment to climate action and are working hard to deliver change locally. We are proud to be partnering with them on their area-wide decarbonisation journeys.”
Visit Aberdeenshire's dashboard here.