Senior leaders from politics, industry, trade unions and environmental groups will convene at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on Wednesday October 29, to agree what needs to happen next to ensure changes to bring down emissions are achieved as fairly as possible. First Minister John Swinney, UK energy minister Michael Shanks and the new head of the UK Climate Change Committee, Nigel Topping, will give keynote speeches.

All Members of the Scottish Parliament have also been invited, as have representatives of all 32 local authorities, every chamber of commerce and every Scottish college.

The aim of the Just Transition Summit is to build consensus on how a just transition to a low carbon economy can be achieved, as well as agree specific actions for different levels of government, employers, unions and environmental groups.

A panel of senior representatives from parties at Holyrood will be quizzed by young people from Grangemouth, Aberdeen and Shetland to understand what different parties propose to do to shape the economic future of young people in Scotland for the better.

The Commission is an independent expert advisory group with members drawn from business, industry, trade unions, environmental and community groups and academia. It aims to make sure the benefits and burdens of the major changes involved in Scotland’s climate neutral transition are shared as fairly as possible, and is tasked by the Scottish Government with making an annual assessment of progress towards a just transition to a low carbon economy.

The October summit will include a showcase of 28 projects from across Scotland that are helping achieve a just transition. These range from community-owned energy projects in islands such as North Yell and Lewis, to innovative skills initiatives to support workers made redundant at the Grangemouth oil refinery into new roles, as well as companies that are setting up shop in Scotland to manufacture the sub-sea cables needed for wind power.

Prof. Dave Reay, co-chair of the Commission, said: “The Just Transition Summit is about building consensus on what a fair transition to a low carbon economy means in practice. We’re bringing together leaders and decision-makers from all levels of government, employers, unions and environmental groups to really take stock together of where we are as a country. We want to see commitments to tangible actions that will make a positive difference to workers, communities and businesses across Scotland.”

Satwat Rehman, co-chair of the Commission, said: “Our summit will showcase dozens of brilliant on-the-ground projects that are already making a concrete and measurable contribution to Scotland’s economic renewal through the low carbon transition. Some are small community initiatives, others are international companies at the leading edge of green infrastructure development, while others showcase the innovation and resourcefulness we consistently see from bulwarks of the transition such as our further education colleges.”