Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful has expanded its range of Climate Emergency Training for businesses, organisations and individuals across Scotland as it celebrates more than 6,000 people participating in its training.

Since pioneering Climate Emergency Training in Scotland in 2016, the charity has worked across sectors and subjects to help businesses, organisations and individuals understand the Climate Emergency and mount a successful response.

A key part of the training is Accredited Climate Emergency Training, with over 5,000 people being certified as Carbon Literate after gaining knowledge of the carbon costs and impacts of activities and identifying practical actions to tackle them.

Keep Scotland Beautiful has expanded its range of Accredited Training to include 10 sector-based courses for businesses and organisations covering: Biodiversity; Communities; Construction; Energy; Housing; Local Authority; Tourism; Sport; Transport and Youth. Businesses and organisations can also commission customised Accredited Training, while individuals have the option of a rolling quarterly course.

The charity has also supported more than 1,000 people to take their first steps in finding out more about the Climate Emergency through shorter Introductory Training, which includes an e-Learning Module and online webinars.

The range of Accredited and Introductory Training available means that Keep Scotland Beautiful can help businesses and organisations to create a package of training that is relevant to their needs.

All the training is made relevant to the Scottish context through engaging, informative and topical content and cuts through jargon, so participants have a clear understanding of terms like ‘net zero’, ‘global warming’, ‘climate change’ and ‘carbon footprint’.

In addition, the training emphasises hope over despair, and includes examples of the many co-benefits of climate action – such as improved air quality, better energy security and reduced fuel poverty.

Catherine Gee, deputy chief executive at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We want to create a Carbon Literate Scotland to help combat climate change and ensure that businesses, organisations and individuals across the country can respond successfully to the risks, responsibilities, and opportunities ahead.

“That’s why we have expanded our Climate Emergency Training to provide further opportunities for contextual learning through 10 accredited sector-based courses. This training will help you identify practical actions to reduce carbon emissions, and future-proof your business, organisation and home life as far as possible.”

In addition to the physical impacts of our changing climate, there are changing customer expectations around green business, and the Scottish Government’s declaration of a Climate Emergency is leading to greener legislation.

Climate Emergency Training will help upskill businesses, organisations, and people across Scotland, so they have the knowledge required to mount a successful response and move us towards a net zero society.