Scotland's potential for wind and forests mean it could decarbonise quickly
The Scottish Greens have called for the Scottish government to go beyond the recommendations of the Committee on Climate Change’s latest report.
The report says that Scotland should reach ‘net zero, where it stops contributing to climate change by 2045.
This means reducing emissions faster than the rest of the UK because, the report says, Scotland has greater potential to reduce emissions.
However, Green MSP Mark Ruskell said this was not ambitious enough.
“Greens have built the case for a net-zero carbon target for Scotland by 2040, which reflects our fair share of what is necessary to avoid the climate catastrophe as well as the huge natural economic advantages we have in areas like renewables and forestry.
“Today’s advice, which the Scottish Government will accept, is getting closer to what is necessary and sets a strong and demanding long term goal.”
“However the ‘make or break’ years in tackling the climate are between today and 2030, yet disappointingly the UK Climate Change Commission has provided scant advice on what the critical 2030 target should be.
“Unless both the UK and Scottish Governments accelerate action today then longer term targets will be out of reach. “
“I will now be moving an amendment to the Scottish Climate Bill to up the target to 80% by 2030 driving real transformative action during this critical window of transition.”
“A Green New Deal for Scotland must now be put in place that would use the regulatory and fiscal powers available to the Scottish Parliament to deliver big emission reductions and create hundreds of thousands of lasting jobs in the low carbon economy.”
“Last week the SNP and Scottish Labour voted for our proposal. We now need to make urgent progress towards delivering the deal.”
The Scottish government recently declared a ‘climate emergency’, as did the UK parliament a few days later.
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4 Responses to “Latest climate ambitions don’t go far enough, say Scottish Greens”
Tom Sacold
More middle-class trendies trying to put ordinary working people out of jobs.
We need real industry with real jobs not virtue signalling snobs.
Chester Draws
Scottish Greens — who hold no power — can rant about how we aren’t doing enough all they like. They don’t have to make any compromises or actually cost out their ideas.
As soon as they get into power — Germany, NZ — they have to adopt a different tone. Then a extremely radical policy that puts families into poverty by making power too expensive is suddenly not practical after all. Reality bites, and the “we can decarbonise in twenty years” is suddenly not possible after all.
Scotland has long dark winters, and quite a few still days. Getting to zero carbon is never going to be practical, except by large expansion of nuclear. And guess what? The only solution to the problem is one they can’t accept!
Patrick Newman
Draws, have you taken leave of your senses. Scotland is one of the windiest places in Europe and did you know that for about six months of the year Inverness has more daylight hours than Brighton!
Scottish Scientist
Compared to Extinction Rebellion’s demand to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025, the Scottish government just hit the 20-year snooze button.
My 100% Renewable Energy Blog
https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/
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