In June 2021, we were delighted to organize a conference of over 60 delegates from 28 different countries representing many of the world’s leading geographical societies to discuss their respective and collective responses to the climate emergency in the run up to COP26 in Glasgow later this year. In partnership with the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) and the International Geographical Union (IGU), the gathering discussed collaborative efforts to tackle climate change and the sustainable development goals and reflected on the varying cultural and political contexts of climate change across the world. The International Geographical Society Gathering began with delegates from Italy, Israel, Russia, China, Ireland, Colombia, and Uganda introducing their work on climate change. The 60 delegates also heard six ‘provocations’ before breaking into facilitated groups to reflect collaboratively on three key themes of: education, research, and public engagement and policy. You can read more about the event at rsgs.org/blogs.
 

Since our last e-newsletter we have published our latest edition of our quarterly magazine, The Geographer. The theme of this edition was 'Farming for a 1.5°C Future'; where we collated a varied and timely collection of articles and news stories to annotate how the farming industry is responding to the climate emergency. This included articles such as: the role of agriculture in climate change, the reduction of greenhouse gases from the dairy, pig and livestock breeding sectors and the development of habitat management using satellite imagery.  We were also able to reflect on the year that we have had at the RSGS, considering the opportunities and limitations that we have faced in the last 12 months. We are now collating our next edition, the theme of which is ‘Outdoor Adventure and Education’ where we will be exploring the benefits of getting outdoors and the best adventures to be found in Scotland and beyond.

We are delighted that US technology company Jacobs has offered their entire workforce the Climate Solutions Accelerator course. Jacobs is encouraging all employees to complete the course as part of its efforts to ensure they understand the role they can play in climate change action and continue to develop the critical future green skills and solutions needed for the continually evolving world. Jacobs’ collaboration with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society is focused on education and recognising that this is the vital first step on the journey to action.
 

Our most recent initiative around the climate emergency is our Climate Solutions ‘Meet the Experts’ series of events. The events are intended as an opportunity for motivated individuals and organisations to hear from leading climate scientists, policymakers, and analysts to discuss key issues and their solutions, and so ask questions in a safe and informal setting. The series is closely associated with our Climate Solutions Programme for professionals, however all are very welcome to register for a ticket. For the first event, taking place Tuesday 6th July from 3:00pm BST, we will be joined by Mike Robinson, Prof Jim Skea, and Prof Iain Black to explore the significance of policymaking around the just transition for businesses and organisations in Scotland. 

Over the last month we have been diligently adding weekly blogs to our website. Our most recent blog pieces included:

All of our blogs are available to read at rsgs.org/blogs.