Insight

The Clean Heat conference in Scotland was nothing short of a rallying cry for unity and action in our pursuit of decarbonised heat and climate change mitigation. With several hundred participants, the event signalled a crucial shift from isolated discussions to a collective effort in the journey to clean heat.

This unity came at a critical time, highlighted by the Minister for Net Zero Carbon Buildings, Patrick Harvie, in his opening speech where he provided a stark reminder that we,re not on track to meet our decarbonised heat targets: “We must recognise that Scotland is not where we should be in order to meet our 2045 targets – industry, academia, experts, governments, everyone must work together to deliver on our clean heat ambitions. There is a great sense of urgency, but while we must step up the scale, we must do it in a way that includes everyone.”

Minister Harvie’s words echoed the Climate Change Committee’s March 2024 report[1], which revealed a sobering analysis of Scotland’s emissions reduction progress in 2023. The findings pointed to a significant shortfall across seven strategic policy areas related to building emissions, including the adoption of low-carbon heat solutions and energy efficiency measures in homes. The stark revelation that the building sector must increase its emissions reduction rate nearly tenfold by 2030 set a daunting backdrop for the conference.

The magnificent piece of work below captured the breadth and depth of the discussion throughout the day.