We need to re-aim on climate targets

Holyrood commitee hears that government plans for emissions reduction by 2030 may not deliver, writes Dr Richard Dixon

Last week the Scottish Government faced questioning on whether its plans on agriculture, homes, industry, transport and more add up to delivering on our climate targets.

The week before, the French Government was told by a court that it did not have climate plans in place which add up to delivering on its targets. In December a Dutch court ordered the Netherlands Government to cut emissions faster.

The Scottish Government faced the same kind of challenge in the Scottish Parliament when the cabinet secretary for such matters, Roseanna Cunningham, was questioned by Holyrood’s Environmental, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee.

They have been subjecting Scotland’s updated Climate Change Plan to intense scrutiny since the start of the year, and expert witnesses have told them that the plan does not contain enough figures to judge whether it is going to deliver, that there has been fudging of policies to make things add up, and that there is an over-reliance on technical solutions which may never happen at any scale.

The original Climate Change Plan, the third in the series since 2010, was published in September 2018. A year later the new Climate Act set new targets – net zero emissions by 2045 and a 75 per cent reduction by 2030.

This target is, of course, the one which most strongly drives immediate action in this crucial decade for climate action.

Clearly, if you have tougher targets you need to upgrade your plans on how to meet them. The updated plan was supposed to be published in April last year, but was eventually published in the week before Christmas. Even in the midst of Covid disruptions, this more than doubled the time government had to work on it.

There are some really good things to welcome in the updated plan and Holyrood asserts that the policies in it will deliver on the 2030 target.

The committee’s first session on the updated plan was with civil servants and they gave them a pretty hard time. Since then, they have had sessions with academics, charities, campaigners, public bodies and the government’s official advisors on climate change.

The latter, the Committee on Climate Change, were perhaps the most telling, pointing out that the government could not get their computer modelling to add up to deliver on the 2030 target, and so just required extra policies from sectors of society until it came to the right numbers. They added that they could not answer the crucial question of whether the plan delivers the targets.

Several witnesses have pointed out that, unlike previous plans, the updated course of action has very little in the way of numbers

It seems certain the committee’s final report will be asking the government to go back and do more homework

included in its 255 pages, so it is hard for the committee to tell which policies are supposed to deliver what and by when.

The committee has also heard repeated scepticism about the assumption that carbon capture and storage will really make any difference in the period up to 2032 covered by the plan.

Roseanna Cunningham gave a confident performance but several times told the committee that it wasn’t a plan but an update, and that they couldn’t expect it to be encyclopaedic.

It seems certain the committee’s final report will be asking the government to go back and do more homework. There is momentum behind some of these ideas already and together they could make Scotland a much more pleasant and low-carbon place to live and work.

Dr Richard Dixon is director of Friends of the Earth Scotland

At Edinburgh Leisure, we are excited to team up with Scotland’s Virtual Kiltwalk 2021. This year’s event, which takes place between Friday 23 and Sunday 25 April, will see walkers lacing up to support their favourite causes.

We are encouraging people to sign up to get active whilst raising funds for Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities programme, which uses the power of physical activity and sport to change the lives of over 10,000 disadvantaged people in edinburgh each year. The Hunter Foundation has generously agreed to top up all donations by 50 percent, which means that we will receive £150 for every £100 you raise.

Edinburgh leisure is a charity committed to keeping people active and well. We are delighted to be involved in the Kiltwalk because we believe walking is one of the simplest things you can do for your health and wellbeing. It can do wonders for your physical health and fitness, reduce feelings of anxiety and stress, boost your energy levels and it’s fun!

My daily walks have brought me so much joy this year. they have helped me to form a routine throughout the lockdowns, got me outside for some much needed vita mind whilst working from home, and have kept my family active.

As a qualified walk leader, I know that getting started is often the part that people find hardest. here are my top tips to get you going:

– Start with short walks and gradually increase the distance or pace – one of the biggest reasons why people don’t stick to their physical activity goals is because they are unrealistic, so start small and leave yourself wanting more!

– Catch up with a neighbour or friend and explore local paths together whilst following social distancing guidelines

– Start by walking short journeys instead of taking the car

– Wear comfortable shoes –Stick on your favourite playlist or listen to a podcast

–Set a target, whether it’ s a daily step count, a weekly mileage, or an event you want to complete

While many of us enjoy our daily walks, there are others who need a helping hand to we ave physical activity into their lives. we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to reap the benefits of an active lifestyle and that is why our Active Communities programme is committed to supporting people affected by health conditions, disabilities, inequalities and poverty to get active.

Kilt walkers who choose to support Edinburgh leisure’ s active communities programme will be making a real difference to people’s lives, from helping care experienced children to enjoy the active childhood they deserve to enabling people with dementia to keep active and maintain a good quality of life in later life.

Whether you choose to take on the challenge by yourself, with your children or virtually with colleagues, join us in our mission to change lives through physical activity and sport. Sign up to the Kiltwalk and support our Active Communities programme by going to https://bit. ly/35yuzhdands electing edinburgh Leisure as your charity of choice.

For more information about the Virtual Kiltwalk or supporting our Active Communities programme, contact me at audreymckinven@ edinburghleisure.co.uk

Audrey Mckinven is a qualified Walk Leader and Fundraiser at Edinburgh Leisure