Announcements made today demonstrate that the Scottish Government is serious about getting Scotland back on track to fulfil the promises set out in the Climate Change Act.
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) made the comment on the day the latest climate emissions figures were released which showed for a third successive year the Scottish Government has failed to meet the targets set out in the Act.
Gina Hanrahan, spokesperson for Stop Climate Chaos Scotland said:
“It’s been a difficult start to the implementation of the Scottish Climate Change Act, but today’s announcements show the government is serious about getting us back on track to meet future targets.
“These are important first steps and we will need to build on them to realise the full potential of the Climate Change Act.”
The Scottish Government has announced new policies across a number of sectors:
On the establishment of a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Climate Change Gina Hanrahan said:
“We’re encouraged that the Scottish Government has set up a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Climate Change. This will help embed climate change as a core priority across all government departments and provide a regular focus on climate change for our country’s key decision-makers.”
On the new regulatory framework on district heating, Gina Hanrahan said:
Scottish climate change efforts step up a gear
“This will provide confidence to the industry and consumers, helping to kick-start this relatively new Scottish industry and create jobs. Crucially, it will help to tackle emissions from heating our buildings and water, which make up around half of Scotland’s carbon emissions.”
On homes energy efficiency, Gina Hanrahan said:
“The announcement of £5m for energy efficiency upgrades for rural areas such as Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles is a welcome first step. This will need to be continued in future years if we are to cut fuel bills for Scotland’s rural fuel poor and emissions from some of our leakiest homes.”
On transport, Gina Hanrahan said:
“A further £15m for cycling, walking, electric vehicles and for the Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme is great news for people across Scotland, who can benefit from using low carbon, healthier transport options.”
Hanrahan added: “While acknowledging changes to how we measure greenhouse gas emissions has on this occasion made the targets harder to meet, this shouldn’t distract from future efforts to develop a low carbon economy.”
On homes energy efficiency, Gina Hanrahan said:
“The announcement of £5m for energy efficiency upgrades for rural areas such as Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles is a welcome first step. This will need to be continued in future years if we are to cut fuel bills for Scotland’s rural fuel poor and emissions from some of our leakiest homes.”
On transport, Gina Hanrahan said:
“A further £15m for cycling, walking, electric vehicles and for the Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme is great news for people across Scotland, who can benefit from using low carbon, healthier transport options.”
Hanrahan added: “While acknowledging changes to how we measure greenhouse gas emissions has on this occasion made the targets harder to meet, this shouldn’t distract from future efforts to develop a low carbon economy.”
Last modified: 23rd November 2018
