Listen to the trailer to the discover how reflections of people in Midlothian about the climate and nature crisis will help inform discussions as cross sector representatives and community leaders meet in October to agree a new Single Midlothian Plan setting collective outcomes and actions for the next three years.

Changing Climate, Changing Midlothian, is produced for the Midlothian Community Planning Climate Emergency Group by Thrivable Scotland, and is kindly supported by Midlothian Climate Action Hub, Midlothian Community Planning and Vattenfall.

Welcome to Changing Climate, Changing Midlothian

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with me, Osbert Lancaster.

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As I interviewed people for this

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change is more apparent than ever.

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Wildfires have been raging in Canada,

France, and Spain, and on a smaller

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scale, but closer to home people have

been evacuated from their homes in

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the Cairngorms as the hills burn.

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We may not be suffering heat waves

like those becoming common in Europe

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and England, but it's hard to miss

how the seasons are changing, how

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dry our gardens, parks, and fields

are, and how low the water is in

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our burns rivers and reservoirs.

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At the same time the cost of living

crisis is affecting us all and making life

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even tougher than usual for many people.

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Funding is tight across the public sector

and for charities and social enterprises,

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and businesses are trying to cope with

rising costs and all kinds of uncertainty.

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It's easy to feel overwhelmed by

everything that's happening and

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find it difficult to see how we

can change things for the better.

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So what can we do?

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How can we respond?

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Based on many years of helping leaders,

communities, and organisations as they

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work on the climate and nature crisis,

I've come to the conclusion that we

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find genuine hope and make more progress

when we turn our attention away from

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the problems and onto the solutions.

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That's why the Midlothian Community

Planning Climate Emergency Group

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has asked me to make this podcast.

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I'm speaking to people from a variety

of backgrounds who live and work

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in the county to discover what the

climate and nature crisis means for

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them and for the people they work with.

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I'm finding out what they're doing now

and what would help them and others see

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more positive changes in their communities

and the places they care about.

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We also reflect on the fact there's only

so much any organisation can do alone and

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discuss how even when resources are tight,

organisations could work together more

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effectively and efficiently to co-create,

deliver, and support action on the ground.

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In October this year, 2026, cross sector

representatives and community leaders

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meet to agree a new Single Midlothian

Plan, setting collective outcomes

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and actions for the next three years.

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The opportunities and challenges posed

by our changed and further changing

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climate are relevant right across the

area and themes that the plan will cover.

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So it's important that the plan reflects

the urgency of the climate and nature

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crisis and its implications for everyone

living and working in Midlothian.

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That's why the conference will

consider what changes are necessary

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and look for collective actions that

will address the changing climate,

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while also supporting progress on

issues such as health, poverty,

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biodiversity, and community wellbeing.

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The conversations in this podcast

will bring a variety of valuable

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perspectives and experiences to help

inform discussions at the conference.

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Changing Climate Changing Midlothian is

produced for the Midlothian Community

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Planning Climate Emergency Group by

me, Osbert Lancaster at Thrivable

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Scotland, and is kindly supported by

Midlothian Climate Action Hub, Midlothian

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Community Planning and Vattenfall.