Edinburgh to host International Conference on Climate Justice

The Scottish government on Thursday announced that the International Conference on Climate Justice will take place in Edinburgh in October ahead of crucial global talks later this year. To be held at Dynamic Earth on Oct. 9, the Conference will bring together international businesses, civic society and leading thinkers from across the globe to collaborate on climate justice, complementing the economic case for a swift transition to a low carbon economy, said a government press release. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, who is a former president of Ireland, will speak at the conference which will highlight the opportunities and challenges for businesses ahead of climate talks in Warsaw in November. Speaking at a Carbon Capture and Storage event in Edinburgh on Thursday, Scottish Minister for Environment and Climate Change Paul Wheelhouse said that "the economic case for a swift transition to a global low carbon economy is compelling - delivering jobs, investment, trade and economic growth." "But if we are to truly make a difference and help the world's poorest communities, it's important that we also tackle the inequalities brought on by climate change," Wheelhouse said. He noted that Scotland's innovative Climate Justice Fund illustrates "how we are taking our international obligations seriously and demonstrating how climate justice can be delivered on the ground." The conference pushes that agenda further bringing businesses and civic society together to tackle climate justice, said Wheelhouse, adding that "it will help them to consider how to share the benefits and burdens of climate change fairly so as to avoid the worst impacts falling on the poor and vulnerable who have done least to contribute to the problem." Salmond and Robinson raised climate justice in a joint communique to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2011, and Robinson joined Salmond in Edinburgh in May 2012 to launch Scotland's Climate Justice Fund, according to the Scottish government.