Scottish Green Party

The Talking's Over - Time for Action at Home, Say Scottish Greens

Wed., September 04, 2002. 00:00.

Ministerial Statement on the World Summit on Sustainable Development

Coinciding with today's (Wednesday) Ministerial Statement in the Scottish Parliament on the World Summit [1], the Scottish Green Party has drawn attention to the Executive's poor environmental record at home and has challenged the First Minister Jack McConnell to put his house in order, including asking for a personal commitment to setting a Scottish target for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions [2].

The Greens are calling on the Executive to 'step-up several gears' on the environment, and are hoping the First Minister's attendance at the World Summit will be a spur to action at home.

The Greens said the Executive's record to date, such as the First Minister's keynote speech on Environmental Justice, the publication of a policy document on sustainable development [3] and the establishment of the Sustainable Development Forum, has produced 'a great deal of green speak but little in the way of measurable results'.

The Greens say that the Executive:

  • has failed to set sufficient targets to reduce Scotland's impact on the environment, including a target for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the main cause of climate change [3]

  • should legislate for at least a 30% mandatory household waste recycling target for each local authority, in line with the present target in England [4]

  • set a target of electricity production from renewable energy of at least 30% by 2010 and 50% by 2050 [5]

  • has failed to set indicators to measure Scotland's impact on the environment, and needs to devise indicators that will measure Scotland's overall impact on the global environment - the so-called 'global footprint'

  • must report in detail on how each Executive Department's activities impact directly and indirectly on the environment (by way of the autumn Spending Review) and ask each Department to propose how these impacts could be reduced

  • should request that the Scottish Parliament's Audit Committee conduct an annual audit of the Executive's action on sustainable development

  • make sustainable development and global citizenship a 'purpose' of education [6]

  • must ensure all Local Authorities bring forward their Biodiversity Action Plans

  • must ensure that all commercial forests and woodlands in Scotland are certified through the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to ensure sustainable woodland management and also commit to the use of sustainable timber in all its public building projects

  • should add measures to the Water Environment Bill to ensure wetland conservation improves flood management.

Robin Harper MSP said from Johannesburg:

'I'm calling on Jack McConnell, on his return from Johannesburg, to show he means business, and to use the World Summit as a spur to action and address some fundamental environmental issues at home, including setting a Scottish climate change reduction target.

'There are fundamental changes required in the way the Scottish Executive is operating if we are to believe they care about the future of those in poorer countries as well as in Scotland. We are still waiting for a sea-change in Executive culture as regards their environmental awareness.

'The pledge to increase our share of renewable energy to 40% by 2020 is welcome, although still not very ambitious compared with our huge resource, and I'd like to know why the proposed recycling target is smaller than England's.

'It is outrageous to claim environmental credentials and not to fight climate change. The Executive is focused more on flood prevention in Scotland than helping other countries by getting our emissions down. Incredibly the Executive has no real idea of whether our emissions are increasing or decreasing. It maintains it will make a contribution to the UK climate target, but that contribution might well be a negative one.

'There have been major strategies from the Executive on transport and agriculture, both large sources of greenhouse gases, yet no mention of climate change.'

NOTES

  1. Ministerial Statement on the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Scottish Parliament, Wednesday 4 September 2002. See www.scottish.parliament.uk/agenda_and_decisions/forth.html

  2. This call by the Scottish Greens comes following news from the Summit that the Kyoto protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could be in force as soon as the end of the year, following support by Russia and Canada which has left US opposition isolated.

  3. The Executive 'Meeting the Needs' document published in April 2002 which announced priorities and targets for sustainable development was criticised by the Green Party as inadequate. See www.scottishgreens.org.uk/news/2002/apr/020430execreport.htm

  4. Jack McConnell stated his intention to reach a target of 25% household waste recycling in the next few years in his speech at the World Summit. See www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/extras/00010100.aspx

  5. Scotland already produces 11% of its electricity from renewable, mainly old hydro. An independent report this year showed that Scotland has the potential to supply 75% of the UK's electricity from renewable sources.

  6. This purpose was left out of the Standards in Schools (Scotland) Bill.

    7. CONTACT

    Robin Harper MSP in Johannesburg 07957 337 176 or 00 27 11 442 7331 Steve Burgess (Scottish Parliament office) 0131 348 5955 or 07887 682 574

    /End of release

    Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.