Fund aims & priorities

Find out how the fund aims to empower local people by engaging and working with communities to shape a Just Transition to net zero

This social capital fund aims to empower local people to shape a Just Transition to net zero, in a way that reflects their local needs and priorities, by:

  • Supporting Scotland’s communities in achieving a Just Transition to net-zero

  • Increasing the awareness and understanding of climate change, Just Transitions and associated issues and activities related to the reduction of carbon footprints.

  • Encouraging a shift in local attitudes towards climate change/Just Transition, raising awareness through simple messages and the provision of beneficial and desired capital projects.

  • Presenting opportunities for people who want to be part of a Just Transition and the climate change solution to turn their sense of joint responsibility into a real purpose.

  • Reducing carbon footprints and contributing to the net zero agenda for Scotland whilst improving the health and wellbeing of both local people and their communities.

  • Encouraging creative ideas about local climate change/Just Transition opportunities. 

  • Generating sustainable projects for the benefit of local people and their communities.  Projects that can be implemented in a short time, tailored to local peoples’ needs and located where the need is felt. 

  • Encouraging a network of green PB projects that can have a positive measurable effect on the quality of life, carbon footprint and polluting emissions in the North East of Scotland.  

Application Priorities

Applications must ensure that, wherever possible, all capital resources purchased/procured are done so as locally as possible - to benefit the local economy and avoid longer transportation costs and associated emissions.

Capital resources should also be of the most sustainable quality possible as to avoid short life use/replacement and maximise environmental benefit - this may mean better quality and therefore higher initial costs which will be acceptable in relation to overall sustainability.

There must also be evidence within the application of how the project will support Scottish Government Just Transition Outcomes and Local Priorities for Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire/Moray.

Just Transition Priorities

To be included in the public voting PB process, applications must describe how they will deliver against at least two of the Scottish Government’s Just Transition priorities which are listed below. One must be from the ‘Social’ category, and one must be from the ‘Environmental’ category:

Social

  • Citizens, communities and place: support affected regions by empowering and invigorating communities and strengthening local economies.

  • Jobs, skills, education, and retraining: equip people with the skills, educations and retraining required to support retention and creation of access to green, fair, and high value work.

  • Fair distribution of costs and benefit:  address existing economic and social inequality by sharing the benefits of climate action widely, while ensuring that costs are distributed on the basis of ability to pay.

  • Business and economy: supporting a strong dynamic and productive economy which creates wealth and high-quality employment across Scotland, upholds the UN guiding principles on business and human rights, and continues to make Scotland a great place to do business.

  • Adaptation and resilience: identify key risks from climate change and set out actions to build resilience to these risks, ensuring our economy is flexible, adaptable, and responsive to the changing climate.

  • Further equality and human rights implementation and preventing new inequalities from arising addressing fuel poverty in a manner consistent with Scotland’s statutory targets on each, while furthering wider equality and human rights across all protected characteristics.

Environmental

  • Environmental protection and restoration: commit to act within our planetary boundaries while protecting and restoring our natural environment.

  • Decarbonisation and efficiencies: contribute to resource efficiency and sustainable economic approaches that actively encourage decarbonisation, support low carbon investment and infrastructure, and avoid carbon “lock-in”.