Forres health and social care worker visits Scottish Parliament to share climate change views
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A HEALTH and social care worker from Forres has travelled to the Scottish Parliament to share her views on climate change.
Lorraine Banks travelled to Holyrood to take part in a climate change People’s Panel which was set up to support Holyrood’s net zero, energy and transport committee’s in its post-legislative scrutiny of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
A total of 25 members of the public were selected from across the breadth of Scotland’s demographic to take part in the People’s Panel events, which took place over two weekends and two online evening sessions.
All panellists were encouraged to share their personal views and experiences into whether the Scottish Government is doing enough to engage the public on climate change and whether they could do more to involve the public in meeting climate change targets.
Lorraine said: “We have worked hard during our time at the parliament and have met with lots of experts working in the field of climate change from organisations I didn’t even know existed.
“I’ve learnt that funding is being given to different groups, many of whom panellists haven’t been aware of. But it doesn’t seem that it is being given in a consistent way. I would like to see funding streamlined and committed for the long term.
“The Scottish Government also needs to make much more information available to the public to let them know about the work that is going on – and about the challenges we all face, and will continue to face, in relation to climate change.”
Participants will now produce a set of recommendations that will be incorporated in a report and then presented to the committee.
Edward Mountain, convener of the net zero, energy and transport committee, said: “It’s crucial that we hear and reflect upon the views of Scotland’s diverse communities and that the views presented to us should directly inform our work.
“The panel will now present a set of recommendations to the Committee which will feed directly into our scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.”
