IS the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund dysfunctional? Run for a decade by Keep Scotland Beautiful, it has proved a lucrative cash cow for a limited number of charities while excluding many other community organisations equally deserving.
Intended “to encourage community organisations to take steps to tackle climate change”, its impact will only ever be local, small-scale and largely symbolic. Rather than spread encouragement widely, it has been offering grants of up to £150,000 to some groups.
University projects seem to be favoured, perhaps because they are better equipped to negotiate the cumbersome application and carbon counting process. New entrants are occasionally supported but many more lose out, partly due to the complex application process which places undue demands on organisations not familiar with the system. This drains energy and enthusiasm for practical climate actions more widely.
With sizeable annual funding exceeding £10 million available, and given the token nature of climate change actions feasible at community level, continuing this narrow focus is neither rational nor fair. If the Scottish Government is serious about community involvement in climate change it needs a more pragmatic and inclusive approach.
K Maclagan,
2 Union Place, Leven.
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