Today the Glasgow to Globe greenspace opens in the Glasgow Botanic gardens. The living exhibition, which has been created as part of the RSPB’s Revive Our World project in partnership with the Central Scotland Giving Nature a Home team, will provide visitors with an opportunity to explore the role which nature can play in solving the climate and nature emergency.
The space will make use of exhibits to help people understand the actions we can take to protect and restore nature in our gardens, window boxes and community greenspaces and the steps we need the Scottish Government to take in order to halt nature’s decline throughout Scotland and across the world.
Small scale action such as growing our own food can add up to massive benefits to nature and the climate
Over the last four weeks, volunteers have helped bring the space to life and visitors will begin their journey on an ‘urban street’ that’s been transformed to help climate, nature and people. They will then move on to an area demonstrating activities that people can do at home including bug hotels, green roofs and window boxes, before journeying through sections devoted to peatland, grassland, forest and seas. Throughout the exhibition, visitors will be able to discover how they can take action and what our political leaders need to do, as well as find links to films and resources that help people to understand the challenges facing nature and the actions the RSPB and our partners are taking to protect and restore it.
From providing opportunities for green jobs and helping to build back from the effects of the pandemic to supporting our mental health and wellbeing and helping us to fight climate change, safeguarding nature can have so many benefits.
But globally nature is under threat. In Scotland, only half of our nature healthy and intact and 1 in 9 species are at risk of extinction, and time is running out to take action. From our peatlands to our urban greenspaces, if we are to revive our world then we must ensure that our leaders commit to taking the same actions for nature that have already been taken for the climate.
RSPB Scotland volunteers have spent weeks preparing the exhibition for today's launch
As the world turns to Glasgow this month for the UN Climate Conference, COP26, and representatives from over 190 countries come together to negotiate actions which limit threats to climate, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure that nature is not forgotten.
In Scotland we have already seen a commitment by the Scottish Government to introduce binding targets for nature but we must go further. The only way we’re going to tackle the nature and climate crises is by working together, individuals, businesses and nations alike. Glasgow to Globe will show how we can combine our efforts and safeguard the future of our planet.
Peatlands are one of the habitats of which Glasgow to Glove will demonstrate the benefits
The exhibition will demonstrate the ease and effectiveness of measures such as these.
Speaking about the Glasgow to Globe space Project Manager Sarah-Jayne Forster said, “A lot of people see biodiversity loss and climate change as really heavy issues. We want this space to be more hopeful and inspiring by giving visitors a glimpse of wild spaces we have in Scotland and the actions we can take to restore them. “
‘The space is really about taking people on a journey. It’s a living exhibition of things people can do in their local communities and back gardens to look after nature and mitigate climate change.’
The exhibition will be open every day from 10am until dusk from now until after COP26 in November. If you’re not based in Glasgow you’ll still be able to get involved by joining one of our digital events which will compliment the exhibition.
To find out more about the space, including the events we have planned follow @RSPBGlasgow on Twitter.