Climate justice can be a cause of joy and celebration for an independent Scotland. IT can be hard – with the debris of Covid all around us – to contemplate the incoming tsunami of the climate crisis. Yet for all the bleakness of 2020, there is always cause for hope.

The National 28th Nov 2020 read more »

@Strathearnrose announces at #SNP20 that Scotland will publish an NDC – the kind of plans countries submit to the UN spelling out how they will reduce climate emissions and will help other countries – ahead of the #COP26 climate talks in Glasgow.

Richard Dixon on Twitter 28th Nov 2020 read more »

Scottish Government’s ‘missed opportunities’ highlighted in climate report. The Scottish government has been told their response to climate change is “good, but could still do better” by a climate emergency group. The report from the Climate Emergency Response Group (CERG) said there had been positive progress since the First Minister announced a climate emergency in Spring 2019. The findings noted that despite some delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of new “green recovery” opportunities have been missed. Scoring the Scottish government’s reaction to the group’s climate proposals, CERG said 33% have a green rating, 57% an amber rating, and 10% have a red rating.

Scotsman 23rd Nov 2020 read more »

Farmers in Scotland are facing the biggest changes since tractors replaced horses in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a report. The independent report by Farming for 1.5C makes 15 key proposals for the coming years. They include more use of renewable energy, a cap on methane emissions from livestock and improved management of land. The report was published yesterday and presents a wide range of views collated over the past 18 months. The authors want pilot schemes set up to establish best practice and baseline carbon tracking measures established as soon as possible.

Times 10th Nov 2020 read more »

COMMUNITIES, public bodies and businesses across Scotland are being urged to come together to spark innovative ways of tackling climate change. Behind the move is the first energy company in the UK to generate 100% green electricity, one of Scotland’s leading environmental organisations and Scotland’s public-sector climate change network. With just under a year to go until the UN’s COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow, ScottishPower, WWF Scotland and the Sustainable Scotland Network will launch their Climate Collaboration Challenge a week today. They hope to combine the energy, skills, resources and knowledge of businesses, industry, public agencies, financial institutions and civil society from across the country. Dr Sam Gardner, head of climate change and sustainability at ScottishPower, said: “We know the only way we can truly tackle climate change is by working together, but sometimes identifying who to work with or where you can access funding can be a stopper on some ideas that have truly great potential. In teaming up with WWF Scotland and the Sustainable Scotland Network we hope that we can help facilitate conversations, drive forward ideas and ultimately come up with innovative plans that can be put into action to make a real difference to our planet.” The launch event will take place virtually and will include the following speakers – Nigel Topping, High Level Action Champion for COP26; Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham; ScottishPower’s CEO Keith Anderson; Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, leader, climate and energy practice, WWF International; and Kathryn Dapre, chair of sustainable Scotland Network. Following on from the event, there will be opportunities for those in attendance to attend future workshops and discuss the issue they are hoping to tackle, what actions they hope to take and how they can collaborate to make their idea a reality. Lang Banks, director of WWF Scotland said: “We’re already feeling the impacts of climate change here and around the world, and it’s vital we accelerate action to slash our emissions. By holding these events virtually, we hope to bring people, companies, and other organisations, whose paths may not usually cross, together. Anyone who wants to get involved in the challenge is asked to visit ScottishPower’s website by Friday.

The National 9th Nov 2020 read more »

MSPS have called on the SNP to fork out more funding to kickstart a green recovery from the pandemic – while ministers have been told to “co-ordinate and finance a sufficiently large investment stimulus” from Boris Johnson’s government. The Scottish Government has committed to harnessing a low carbon economy as part of the economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and has also committed to the country becoming carbon neutral by 2045.

Herald 8th Nov 2020 read more »