During COP26, Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance (SCELG) organised the ‘Climate Change Message in a Bottle’ initiative. Funded by the Scottish Government, the project brought the voices of young islanders affected by climate change to COP26. But the project didn’t end there. Between January and March 2022, the project broadened its objectives to collect young islanders’ visions for a carbon neutral future. The aim? To ensure that island populations are not just on the frontline of climate change but get to play a tangible role in developing solutions to the crisis.
A unique climate education programme
The second phase of the Climate Change Message in a Bottle project ties together a number of national initiatives. This includes the Scottish Government’s National Islands Plan, aimed at improving quality of life for island communities. In partnership with the Carbon Neutral Islands Project (led by SCELG’s Dr Francesco Sindico) a key objective of the plan is to protect Scottish islands from the worst effects of climate change. In support, Youth Scotland has established the Young Islanders Network, which empowers young people to offer meaningful contributions to the delivery of the National Islands Plan.
Continuing the success of the COP26 initiative, and inspired by Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022, Climate Change Message in a Bottle has built on these initiatives by collecting stories and illustrations that capture young islanders’ visions for a carbon neutral future. These are being used to promote policy dialogue and to contribute to the legacy of the National Islands Plan.
Visions of a 2040: A Carbon Neutral Future
“It’s the year 2040, global warming has stopped. I am 31 and the world is a different place.”
- Alastair, Tiree High School, Isle of Tiree.
Since COP26, Climate Change Message in a Bottle project lead, Bethany Walsh, has been working with island schools across Scotland, the UK and around the world. She has helped gather 140 stories and 98 illustrations representing young islanders’ hopes for a carbon neutral future by 2040.
“The arts are a powerful tool for creating emotional connections and forging narratives about a carbon neutral world,” Bethany said, explaining why storytelling and artwork were chosen for the project. “We also need a counter narrative to the doomsday media trends about climate change, which don’t offer much room for a hopeful vision of the future.”
What’s striking about the project is how young many of its participants will be in 2040. The youngest to take part is currently six years old, meaning they will be 24 in 2040.
This emphasises just how close we are to the realities of climate change and highlights the importance of elevating these young voices as governments devise solutions that will impact their futures.
Shaping policy with storytelling
In a push to mitigate the effects of climate change in island settings, Climate Change Message in a Bottle has analyzed common themes from children’s stories against the National Islands Plan’s 13 key strategic objectives. This analysis will be carefully outlined in Climate Change Message in a Bottle’s upcoming report.
“This isn’t just about having nice pictures and stories,” Dr Francesco Sitico said. “It’s about understanding how young islanders see their futures, something that’s really meaningful from a policy perspective.”
The stories included in the project explore a range of issues that young islanders consider vital aspects of climate action. These relate to topics like renewable energy, local food production, climate-friendly transport, flood defences and the future of work. Many children have written about future jobs in fisheries, for instance, but also in sectors like the arts and environmental law. Their aspirations clearly go beyond what might be considered conventional island careers and the hope is that insights like these can inform policy.
Inspiring future generations
While shaping legislation and policy dialogue is a key project aim, Climate Change Message in a Bottle is also using the stories to promote climate education to a wider island audience.
Project outputs include a 16-page zine, or illustrated booklet, produced by artists Melanie Grandidge and Hannah Riordan. In keeping with the project’s theme, the zines are designed to express young islanders’ hopes for the future and will be distributed to youth and community hubs across Scottish islands. However, they’ll also offer more information about the Carbon Neutral Islands Project and link to a database of funding available for climate-related island initiatives in Scotland.
In addition, the project has launched an artwork competition. The winning illustration will serve as cover image for the Scottish Government’s upcoming Carbon Neutral Islands progress report (to be published in June 2022), which will describe, in detail, current plans for supporting the decarbonisation of up to six Scottish islands by 2040. Finally, all images and stories from the project will be uploaded to an online gallery, managed by Youth Scotland, to be kept in perpetuity for present and future generations to explore and enjoy.
SCELG’s Climate Change Message in a Bottle project is closely aligned to the Edge Foundation’s Island Education Network, which brings together researchers and practitioners from across the British Isles and in British Overseas Territories.
Climate Change Message in a Bottle is kindly supported by Island Innovation, Youth Scotland and Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Arts Centre. You can learn more about the project’s involvement with COP26 here.