Scotland is at the forefront of Britain’s quest for climate resilience. No wonder, Glasgow one of its top cities is the venue for the latest round of Climate Change negotiations, COP-26.

Glasgow is a port city on the River Clyde in Scotland's western Lowlands. It's famed for its Victorian and art nouveau architecture, a rich legacy of the city's 18th–20th-century prosperity due to trade and shipbuilding. Today it's a national cultural hub, home to institutions including the Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and National Theatre of Scotland, as well as acclaimed museums and a thriving music scene.

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26 and as the Glasgow Conference, is the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference. It is scheduled to be held in Glasgow between 31 October and 12 November 2021, under the co-presidency of the United Kingdom and Italy. The conference is the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the third meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA3).

This conference is the first time that parties are expected to commit to enhanced ambition since COP21. Parties are required to carry out every five years, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, a process colloquially known as the 'ratchet mechanism'.

It is good to note that Scotland has promoted climate measures ahead of other European cities. The Scottish government has set a legally-binding target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045, five years ahead of the date set for the UK as a whole.

Emissions of greenhouse gases - such as carbon dioxide - have already been reduced to about half of what they were 30 years ago. Scotland wants renewable energy generation to account for 50% of energy demand across electricity, heat and transport by 2030. The government had also set a target of generating the equivalent of 100% of its electricity demand from renewables by 2020. The country has been moving away from burning fossil fuels, with the last coal-fired power station, Longannet, closing in 2016. Onshore wind delivers about 70% of capacity, followed by hydro and offshore wind as Scotland's main sources of renewable power. Scotland's largest single source is the Beatrice offshore wind farm. Its 84 turbines - each with three 75m (246ft) blades - went into operation in 2019. The wind farm is is capable of generating enough power for 450,000 homes.

The Seagreen Wind Farm, under construction off Angus, will eventually be even bigger and able to power 1.3m homes.

The number of new electric and hybrid cars registered in the UK rose by nearly 40% in a year and the availability of publicly-available charge points in Scotland is now at 1,800 and increasing.

 Most of the trees planted in the UK were planted in Scotland - 11,000 of the 13,700 hectares planted in 2019-20. By 2024, the Scottish government aims to be creating 18,000 hectares of new woodlands per year, with the ultimate goal of having 21% of Scotland's land covered by forest by 2032 - compared to 19% today.

And now to come to Aberdeen which has committed to becoming a zero-emission city. Another stellar example of solid climate change abatement sensitivity is Aberdeen, a port city in northeast Scotland, where the Dee and Don rivers meet the North Sea. With an offshore petroleum industry, the city is home to an international population.

It had bid out for a hydrogen partnership which has been bagged by BP. Aberdeen City Council embarked upon its hydrogen journey more than 10 years ago and has already demonstrated how demand can be created within cities, using the zero emission fuel to power a fleet of 25 buses, 60 public sector vehicles and waste trucks, as well as the P&J Live events complex. More than two million passengers have travelled on the city’s hydrogen buses, and CO2 savings to date are in excess of 100 tonnes over the last six years.

The city wants to develop an integrated, end-to-end energy system for the city based on green hydrogen. The hub will build on Aberdeen’s leading position as a global energy centre as well as its growing reputation as a centre of excellence for hydrogen technology.