Climate change
Net Zero Climate Ready Falkirk by 2045
Falkirk Council declared a climate emergency in 2019.
As a council, we want to work towards ensuring a cleaner, greener more sustainable future for Falkirk as the impacts of climate change become increasingly apparent in Falkirk, across Scotland and globally.
By reducing Falkirk’s emissions, we are helping to achieve the global efforts to ensure that warming stays below 1.5 degrees. This is the absolute limit on global temperature rise as identified by the IPCC if we are to avoid the more severe impacts of climate change.
Council Climate Action
We are working towards our targets:
- Net zero greenhouse gas emissions on our organisational vehicle fuel and building and energy use by 2030 in line with our Climate Emergency declaration.
- Taking action to support the Scottish Government’s Target of Net Zero by 2045.
Find out more about council action specific to each sector
- Energy in Falkirk | Falkirk Council
- Transport - We are striving towards decarbonizing the council owned fleet to find out more about this visit Transport - Green Fleet | Falkirk Council.
- Flood Protection & Adapting to climate change impact – Resilience planning - Flooding | Falkirk Council
- Sustainable Transport - Active Travel Strategy 2023
- Household recycling & waste - Reduce, repair and reuse | Falkirk Council
- Sustainable Procurement - Corporate Procurement Unit - Sustainable procurement | Falkirk Council
- Policy and Action updates - All our policy documents & publications can be found below
Our carbon footprint, and actions that we are planning to take can be found in our annual 'Public Bodies Climate Change Reports'.
Take Climate Action in Falkirk
Climate Action will involve a lot of change, this can sometimes make it quite challenging, but change can also be exciting and beneficial in various aspects such as saving money and getting healthier.
Figure out your emissions
An ideal place to start would be to identify the changes you could make that apply to you, and your lifestyle. This can be done by calculating your ‘carbon footprint’ using the Footprint Calculator.
Check out how you can get involved –
- Sustainable Transport Transport - Take the right Route
- Improve Energy Use Reduce your bills | Home Energy Scotland
- Reduce Reuse Recycle What goes in my bins? | Falkirk Council
- Local Sustainability Groups Falkirk
Hold Yourself Accountable
Be mindful of your purchases by choosing eco-friendly options, such as:
- Shopping local for in-season fruits and vegetables.
- Buying second-hand items (check out charity shops in Falkirk!).
- Supporting ethical brands.
Your actions can inspire others and create positive change.
Falkirk is home to great organizations working on climate change and reducing emissions. Explore these efforts on the Decarbonise Falkirk Interactive Map.
If you're an organization owner or CEO and want to be added, contact climatechange@falkirk.gov.uk.
Preparing Falkirk for Climate Change
Climate change in Scotland will increase flood risks, coastal damage, and harm to infrastructure, which is already affecting Falkirk.
To learn more about adaptation and how to apply it to your life or business, visit Home - Adaptation Scotland.
Policy Documents
Local Climate Impacts Profiles
These outline how we managed the impacts of weather in delivering services and how we expected this to change as the climate changes.