Climate Action Plan (CAP)
Climate change is no longer a distant threat – it is reshaping Scotland’s environment now.
In 2025 wildfires have burned a record area across the UK, all of Scotland experienced water scarcity following the driest start to a year since 1964, and Met Office data confirms the summer of 2025 was the hottest on record. These extremes follow a broader trend: Scotland’s ten hottest years have all occurred since 1997.
Despite this, average annual rainfall in Scotland has been 10% higher in the last decade (2014-2023) compared to the 1961-1990 average, with winters bearing the brunt of the wetter weather. Visit the BBC News website to read more.
Climate impacts that were projected to occur in the middle of this century are already happening now. Acceleration of heatwaves, intensification of rainfall, and water stress are no longer future risks, but present realities.
To reduce our contributions to the impacts of climate change, Scotland has set a target to achieve net zero emissions by 2045, replacing interim targets with a carbon budget-based process as well as setting out actions to drive forward climate change adaptation.
East Dunbartonshire is also playing its part through its Climate Action Plan - which was approved on 25 June 2026 - to deliver on the following Council targets:
- To reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2036 for our direct greenhouse gas emissions and energy that the Council purchases
- To reach net zero by 2045 for all other emissions including those for the East Dunbartonshire area
- To improve resilience to the on-going impact of climate change.
A 10-week public consultation ran on the draft Climate Action Plan in late 2025 for in-depth community engagement to help inform the finalised version. Comments and suggestions gathered during the consultation were reflected in the Report of Consultation and numerous changes were made to the final CAP in response to the input received.
The range of actions required to deliver on the Council’s net zero and adaptation targets each have a senior officer listed as an owner and will drive forward action on climate change.
The CAP builds on the considerable progress the Council has already made in reducing our own carbon footprint, as set out in our Carbon Management Plan (CMP) 2015-25.
Table 1 illustrates the long-term reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since record keeping for the Council began.
Table 1: East Dunbartonshire Council Historic Emission Totals
| Year | Total tCO2e |
|---|---|
|
2012/13 |
32,420 |
|
2013/14 |
29,698 |
|
2014/15 |
29,995 |
|
2015/16 |
31,422 |
|
2016/17 |
28,773 |
|
2017/18 |
31,424 |
|
2018/19 |
19,023 |
|
2019/20 |
18,257 |
|
2020/21 |
15,570 |
|
2021/22 |
16,587 |
|
2022/23 |
14,648 |
|
2023/24 |
14,720 |
|
2024/25 |
14,113 (17,375 including employee commuting and homeworking emissions) |
Further details of this can be found in the annual Carbon Management Plan, which was published in November 2025, including Council targets to reduce emissions to 13,820 tCO2e in 2025/26 and 13,450 tCO2e in 2026/27 to continue the strong track record of emissions reductions. The Council has also begun to include estimated homeworking emissions and commuting emissions, as well as setting targets to reduce emissions from these areas.
A variety of emerging Council strategies will support the objectives of the CAP including the forthcoming Active Travel Strategy, the Circular Economy Strategy, the draft Greenspace Strategy and the forthcoming Local Development Plan 3.
The Council is also a partner with Climate Ready Clyde which has developed Glasgow City Region’s first Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan | Climate Ready Clyde. Council approved and authorised the signing of the Climate Ready Clyde Concordat in June 2026, which affirms the Council’s commitments to the collective efforts of the Glasgow City Region local authorities to advance climate adaptation delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Since the more we emit, the more hostile the climate becomes, the sooner we take actions the better. The world's leading climate scientists warned in 2018 that there were only a dozen years left to avoid locking ourselves into significantly greater impacts from climate change. So, time is tight, but we do have an opportunity to make a difference, and it is crucial that we act quickly.
Decarbonisation can improve energy independence, has significant job creation potential, reduce exposure to international financial crises, and deliver a wide-range of other co-benefits including improved air quality, biodiversity and well-being. Therefore, there are compelling economic and societal incentives to reduce our contributions to climate change and lead by example on this issue
A range of ways you can take action to reduce your emission can be found in the Net Zero Nation’s guide to tacking climate action.
The Climate Change Committee also describes the transitions required for Scotland to reach net zero. This information has been instrumental in shaping the draft CAP’s actions.
The action required to tackle climate change is wide and varied. While it will be difficult to collate and share details of all relevant developments, through the emerging Climate Action Plan the Council will aim to share key information about what's happening across the area and the impact that this is having on emissions.