COP26

Edinburgh’s Business Community - Supporting COP26

The 26th Conference of the Parties, or COP26 as it is better known, is a major United Nations climate change summit that takes place annually.

For the first time, COP is being held in the United Kingdom. Under the presidency of the UK Government, this truly global gathering will be hosted in Glasgow, Scotland between November 1st and 12th.

COP26 coming to Scotland represents an important opportunity for Edinburgh to harness momentum and capitalise on the opportunities from the conference; to demonstrate the steps the city is taking to tackle climate change and position Edinburgh as a global leader in climate action.

Since declaring a climate emergency in 2019 and setting an ambitious target of net-zero emissions by 2030, the City of Edinburgh Council has published their Draft 2030 Climate Strategy, due to be launched in the autumn. The city-wide strategy sets out practical and clear steps the city will need to take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change and ensure the city reaches ambitious carbon emission reduction targets. To meet this 2030 target and ensure a green recovery for the city, businesses and stakeholders across the city’s public, private and third sectors need to collaborate and act together to deliver a local zero-carbon economy and support the longer-term sustainability vision for Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council, will be running a programme of activity for the city leading up to and during COP26 to help showcase Edinburgh as a world leader in sustainability. We will also support Edinburgh businesses on their net-zero journey, in line with the City of Edinburgh Council’s 2030 target. To showcase the city’s ambitious net-zero plans, the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce will be running a series of events in the lead up to COP26 starting with a 'positioning the city' event in August. This event will highlight key stakeholder activity within Edinburgh and will encourage businesses and city partners to develop and adopt net-zero strategies to support the city’s vision. The event will be followed by a programme of panel events that will focus on the strong pillars of the city and offer the opportunity to discuss and find out what climate action key stakeholders within these sectors are taking.

As part of this programme of activity, the Chamber will also be launching a website that will focus on highlighting activity going on in the city in the lead up to COP26 in November. It will also support businesses on their net-zero transition and will include practical resources, toolkits and guides to help support businesses reduce their emissions. Case studies, thought leadership articles and stakeholder events will also be promoted - showcasing the hard work and innovation of organisations working towards their net-zero targets.

“To meet this 2030 target and ensure a green recovery for the city, businesses and stakeholders across the city’s public, private and third sectors need to collaborate and act together to deliver a local zero-carbon economy and support the longer-term sustainability vision for Edinburgh.”

During COP26 in November, we will also look to host an event that will engage and inspire a range of citizens and organisations in the city - more details on this coming soon.

The Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce hopes to create a legacy which the city can build upon to ensure the city meets its 2030 net-zero target businesses with their net-zero transition.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce’s COP26 programme of events then please get in touch with the Events team at

events@edinburghchamber.co.uk.