
COP26
Climate Collaboration Challenge

What are we looking for?
Across Scotland there are great examples of people and projects delivering action on climate change, but we all know that we can achieve much more when we work together. We need to find innovative ways of working together to accelerate climate action and adaption.
Ahead of COP26, WWF Scotland and ScottishPower, with the support of SSN, have come together to champion new cross-sector partnerships and projects in Scotland. Partnerships that will deliver faster and more ambitious action on climate change.
What are we looking for?
- Little and large: projects that show you’re never too large or too small to work together
- Opposites attract: collaborations by unlikely allies can yield the best results for their partners and the planet
- Global reach: partnerships that generate a positive impact that stretches beyond our shores
Our challenge to you is to broaden your horizons, consider the potential benefits of cross-sector collaboration and embark on your own new project or partnership.



The launch event
16 November 2020
We invited representatives of all sectors in Scotland (local and national government, land-use, energy, building, transport, civil society, finance, academia) to virtually join us on the 16 November, one year ahead of COP26, to launch this challenge.
Attendees heard inspiring international case studies, connected with other sectors here in Scotland and considered what new partnerships they could form.
Our inspirational speakers included:
- Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Leader, Climate and Energy Practice, WWF International
- Nigel Topping, High Level Climate Action Champion for COP26
- Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change & Land Reform
- Keith Anderson, CEO ScottishPower
- Kathryn Dapre, Chair of Sustainable Scotland Network

Workshops
The launch event will be followed by a series of virtual workshops, where attendees will find further opportunities for engagement and collaboration. Workshop topics will range from energy use and production to sustainable communities and land use. They will be hosted by a range of organisations, including Strathclyde University, CBI Scotland, FutureArk Ltd and the Sustainable Scotland Network.
Details about the workshops will be made available here. If you have an idea for a workshop or would be interested in hosting a discussion, please get in touch
Share your ideas
In need of a project partner? Join the discussion and share your ideas and requests online using #COP26Challenge
COP26
At COP26, we want to showcase your new and innovative partnerships to inspire even more action both across Scotland and globally.
We will jointly host a significant event to share your project and promote the learning to a global audience. This will be a fantastic opportunity to show how we can all play a part in an accelerated response to climate change.
Case studies of collaboration

Alianza Shire, SPAIN
Created in December 2013, Alianza Shire is the first multi stakeholder partnership for humanitarian action in Spain. Including Iberdrola, five entities from the public, private, and academic sectors are working in collaboration to develop energy supply solutions that improve the services and quality of life for refugee populations. The partnership develops innovative and sustainable solutions for energy and lighting services in which training in entrepreneurship programs are included, and we share our experiences and lessons learned with the international humanitarian community. Alianza Shire is currently working in four refugee camps in the Shire area (Northern Ethiopia), and their respective host communities, reaching more than 40,000 people.

Uppsala Climate Protocol
Uppsala, Sweden’s fourth largest city, was the global winner of WWF’s One Planet City Challenge 2018 and national winner in 2020. Uppsala wants to be fossil-fuel free by 2030, and climate positive by 2050. This means that the city is focused on more than achieving zero emissions. It aims to do this by engaging all city stakeholders. Since 2010, city officials and local stakeholders have worked together in a network, affectionately referred to as a local Paris Agreement. The network initiative, the Uppsala Climate Protocol, has 37 active members from all sectors of society working together to contribute to meeting the city’s climate targets. WWF has calculated that if municipalities around the world replicated this Climate Protocol by engaging 20% of their local companies and organizations, it would lead to yearly emissions cuts of at least 58,000, 000 tons of CO2 per year. That number is higher than Sweden’s total annual emissions.

Climate Ready Clyde: The Value of Partnership
The Sustainable Scotland Network has published a foresight report, Climate Ready Clyde - The Value of Partnership. The report explores the value of partnership and collaboration in driving the success of Climate Ready Clyde, an initiative delivered by sustainability charity Sniffer. Climate Ready Clyde leads the development of a Climate Adaptation Strategy and related Action Plan for the Glasgow City Region. Exploring the development of the initiative, the report captures how Climate Ready Clyde has fostered collaboration, innovation and learning, pulling together key knowledge and experience from across the partnerships network.
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Hydrogen’s Contribution to Climate Innovation Clusters
The Sustainable Scotland Network has published a report on the need for collaborative clusters of organisations to support climate action. The report, Hydrogen's Contribution to Climate Innovation Clusters, examines the activity and impact of hydrogen clusters on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. With hydrogen now proposed as part of the solution to decarbonising heat and transport, many collaborations have been taking place across the country to develop the technologies and address the challenges of hydrogen as an energy source. The report examines the activity and impact of hydrogen clusters in supporting collaboration and driving innovation and action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Through a series of case studies, the report explores hydrogen innovation across Scotland, including Orkney, Aberdeen, and Fife, we well as in the North of England.
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