INTRODUCTION
GLASGOW is a city defined by transition. A past forged in trade and heavy industry, ours is a city which has overcome the decline of post-industrialisation to re-emerge as the engine room of our national economy, setting the pace for Scotland’s social and technological innovation. We are the beating heart of a metropolis of genuine scale, experience and opportunity, a diverse city with a rich heritage but always seeking to renew and reinvent.
A cradle of the Enlightenment and the advancement of reason, intellect and science, the ideas nurtured in Glasgow made a significant contribution to the shaping of our modern world. James Watt, the engineer and inventor whose steam condenser was the essential source of power for the First Industrial Revolution, had his eureka moment in a Glasgow park. Our proximity to natural resources and location as a port city thrust Glasgow to the forefront of that Revolution, building the ships which enabled an Empire. For almost 200 years the term ‘Clyde Built’ was synonymous with quality and innovation. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries Glasgow was a global titan of the industrial age, a workshop of the world. Alongside manufacturing, that pioneering spirit continued to transform our world through the development of television, ultrasound technology, antibiotics and genetics.
Industrial decline in the second half of the last century heralded a turbulent chapter in Glasgow’s history, creating social and physical legacies, some of which continue to present today.
Glasgow not only endured the challenges of post-industrialisation but recovered and re-emerged to flourish in so many regards. The Glasgow of the 21st century is a new frontier; full of opportunities to thrive and prosper, and which climate action only enhances.
A globally connected city, we have an international reputation for culture, hospitality and sport and an enviable track record in successfully hosting major events. We are home to internationally acclaimed Higher and Further Education Institutes with a large professional and skilled talent base supported by a university and college sector which both attracts and, crucially, retains talent. As well as established clusters in cleantech, advanced manufacturing, precision medicine and fintech - together with cultural and creative production - Glasgow stands out as a top UK investment location for multinationals and tech startups.
Glasgow is also a city of common cause, where partners across political leadership, business, academia and civil society have a unity of purpose in responding to emerging trends and opportunities while promoting our city and its needs. Working together we have shaped and informed the policies and interventions demanded by a modern and resilient economy. Through our Sustainable Glasgow partnership and collective efforts, we are rewriting the social contract – linking social licence and value to the ability of business to decarbonise and build our resilience to climate change, whilst creating new jobs and economic opportunities.
Like urban citizens across our planet, Glaswegians find themselves at the start of a pivotal decade. The situation is urgent; global emissions must halve by 2030 to avoid runaway, dangerous climate change. The city must also adapt to current and further impacts of climate change. Much action pledged by the UK and Scotland must be delivered by cities given they are home to most of the population, carbon emissions and climate risks.
Glasgow has already set targets to become net zero and climate-resilient by 2030 – well ahead of the Scottish national ambition of 2045. Glasgow’s early adoption of sustainable policy across various industries and sectors and our leadership on climate and environmental agendas has already firmly established Glasgow as a city at the vanguard of transition and sustainability.
However, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells us the world is not going fast enough. COP26 here in Glasgow provides the world with a historic opportunity to go further, faster. As the host City, we have a moral obligation to lead, and to urgently work with cities around the world to accelerate the pace and scale of climate action.
Success at COP26 will be measured by most on the extent to which promises are kept and by increased ambition. For cities, it is about delivering practical solutions to the climate emergency.
The cost of decarbonising and adapting Glasgow is at least in the tens of billions. It will require restructuring and physically rebuilding the very systems on which Glasgow depends, from energy to food, housing to mobility, and finance itself.
How this is done will be shaped and delivered by city leaders and their partners. Cities like Glasgow are already excellent facilitators, collaborating with global financiers and on-the-ground service providers and stakeholders to drive place-based solutions for the long-term.
Investment in climate action delivers significant economic and social benefits – improved productivity, competitiveness, new jobs, reduced disruption and better health and wellbeing. We know that global firms will want to use the profile and opportunity of COP26 to capitalise on this - building stronger, more sustainable and resilient business bases. They want locations ready to embrace the necessary changes, places they can have confidence in their investments and be certain of environmental and social returns alongside the financial ones. Glasgow has the relationships, the eco-systems, the track record in innovation and research and the city-wide commitment to be that location.
Our ‘Greenprint’ is a new and innovative approach, designed to unlock and scale investment. In doing so, it will ensure Glasgow is well positioned to thrive and help deliver our shared ambition to respond to the climate emergency and align with global ambitions for COP26.
