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ClimateXChange - Defining success in decarbonising Scotland’s islands (3 MB)
Report in HTML

Authors

  • Sabina Shaikh, Ricardo
  • Ellie Voke, Ricardo
  • Helen Li, Ricardo
  • Katie Hanbury, Ricardo
  • Simon Morris, Ricardo

Published

7 July 2026

Contact

Dr Nicola Dunn
Project Manager - Climate and energy
nicola.dunn@ed.ac.uk
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Defining success in decarbonising Scotland’s islands through the Carbon Neutral Islands Project

The Carbon Neutral Islands project was launched in 2021 to support six Scottish islands — Hoy, Islay, Great Cumbrae, Raasay, Barra and Yell — in achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. This research reviews what the project has achieved so far, explores what is realistically achievable, and considers how progress could be measured and strengthened in future.

The report assesses activity across nine themes – energy efficiency, low-carbon heating, renewables, transport, nature-based solutions, circular economy, climate literacy, collaboration, data and low-carbon food supply. It also identifies barriers to delivery and considers how the project can generate wider community benefits alongside emissions reductions.

Key findings

  • The Carbon Neutral Islands project has supported practical climate action across all six islands, including low-carbon mobility, energy efficiency, renewable energy, local food production and climate resilience.
  • The project provides a scalable model for island-led climate action, with lessons that can support wider decarbonisation across Scotland’s islands.
  • Delivery has taken place across all nine theme areas, reflecting the range of actions needed to support island decarbonisation and resilience.
  • Barriers to delivery include high costs, data gaps, limited on-island skills and knowledge gaps, alongside wider structural challenges such as geography, infrastructure capacity, policy frameworks and funding flexibility.
  • Community co-benefits are central to the project’s long-term success, helping to build local support for sustained decarbonisation.

Recommendations

The report suggests that the Carbon Neutral Islands project widens how success is defined and delivered, to ensure that knowledge and experience is within the project. It recommends the CNI project:

  • includes co-benefit metrics to demonstrate the wider social, environmental and economic value of projects, encouraging long term support from local communities
  • improves the coordination, visibility and accessibility of external technical knowledge and learning functions
  • develops programmes to support projects move from planning to action, and strengthen overall impact
  • pilots approaches to capturing knowledge and lessons learned from projects
  • uses a theory of change framework to measure project and policy design
  • develops a monitoring and impact framework to measure outcomes and support continuous improvement.

The report concludes that the next phase of the Carbon Neutral Islands project has significant potential to demonstrate a stronger model of community-led island decarbonisation. By tracking emissions reductions and wider community benefits, the project can better show its full value and inspire climate action across Scotland’s islands.

For further information, please read the full report.

If you require the report or annex in an alternative format, such as a Word document, please contact info@climatexchange.org.uk or 0131 651 4783.

Photo by Duncan McNab on Unsplash

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