Imagine if all the key people in your local government were well trained in climate change and the impacts it will have; that every decision made on your behalf and everyone else in your community, was made by a representative trained in carbon literacy with a long-term focus on the future. That is exactly what Jamie Joyce, ACT Now Project Officer at the Argyll and the Isles, Coast and Countryside Trust has implemented in Argyll.

Jamie met us at anchor just north of Oban, and Nigel picked him up from shore in our dinghy. Jamie studied to deliver Carbon Literacy training, which is a one-day training programme for anyone interested in learning about climate change science and how it will influence your future.

‘It is not just a day’s training’, says Jamie. ‘It also has a strong actionable content to it – science, social aspects of climate change and communicating climate change, which is often where councils fall down. It really puts councillors and council staff on the spot, to say, realistically what can you do?’.

Over the years he has been delivering this training, Jamie has modified it to be more relevant for those in rural and coastal settings. Another important aspect of the training is that it takes away the scariness of climate change and looks at solutions.

‘It isn’t something that’s going to be costly, this isn’t something that is going to be challenging, this is something that has real world benefits for your community’, says Jamie.

Following the ACT initiative, both the Chief Executive and Head of the Council in Argyll and Bute Council have enjoyed the training, con

tributing to the organisation officially becoming a Carbon Literate Organisation.

Pippa Milne, Chief Executive of Argyll & Bute Council described the programme as ‘ … the best training I’ve been on for a long time.  Even if you think you know about climate change, I thoroughly recommend it”.

I asked Jamie what motivates councillors to participate in the training; he says it’s a combination of influences, from central government policy to pressure from climate activists as well as the councillors’ personal commitment to doing the best for the people they represent.

Jamie says that climate change can be a divisive topic as many people feel that it is beyond their control. But councillors can play a pivotal part in assisting people to find out about climate change, to deal with it and adapt to it.

‘People can see the value of adapting to climate change. They don’t see x amount of money being spent on a pier defence or a more resilient harbour as wasteful, but as future proofing. It’s an investment.

Jamie often finds people have more immediate concerns and climate change is something they can ‘kick down the road’.

‘Many say they’re more worried about the cost of living crisis, or the invasion and subsequent war in Ukraine or more worried about the consequences of covid. We’re trying to put climate change on an equal footing with these issues, in a way that is sensitive and people can see its real-world long-term value’.

Jamie would like to see carbon literacy training in all councils and says Fife council now has a requirement for planners to be carbon literate. He would encourage councils to future-proof their local environment.

‘For councils, it’s a journey. Get more of your staff carbon literate, start to make mission statements, demonstrate what you’re doing and then tell the public what you’re doing in relation to climate change’.

One of the larger benefits of raising awareness of climate change in the Argyll and Bute Council was for decision makers to realise that meeting climate change targets is beneficial for the whole community and very aligned to the council’s aims and objectives.

‘What net zero means is better health and well-being, more people on bicycles, more people saving money by not spending money on fossil fuels, homes better insulated and within all that, people are benefiting. It’s not a tick box; reaching net zero is just a side benefit because we’re already doing these things that are making us healthier, wealthier, more cohesive communities, with better community wealth’.

As well as climate literacy training for individuals and local government, Jamie’s role in the ACT Now project is to assist the Argyll & Bute Community adopt strategies, around the themes of food, waste and travel, to tackle climate change. One of the first projects Jamie told us about was a bicycle recycling scheme that takes donated bikes, reconditions them to make sure they’re safe and then provides these bikes free to Mid Argyll residents who apply to the scheme.

Another scheme is the Food Share scheme that takes food from local supermarkets as it reaches its ‘best before’ dates and then sells or gives it away for a donation. This scheme reduces waste, connects communities, makes more resources available to local residents, and reduces in greenhouse gases.

Jamie would like to see training extended to many other councils and is very willing to share his knowledge and experience with others. With this in mind, he has created a page of resources that may be helpful to other councils and he is very happy to discuss his experience with others.