We can’t revert to policies of past
FIVE years since a climate emergency was declared in the Scottish Parliament, it feels a little like we’re back to square one.
Target after target was being missed – so the Scottish Government did away with its annual emissions targets.
Crucially, under Humza Yousaf, it also ditched the aim of cutting carbon by 75 per cent by the end of the decade.
Now free of the Scottish Greens, we have a new SNP minority government under John Swinney who, if rumours are true, is considering a wider cull of key green policies.
As we report today, eco groups and fuel poverty campaigners are concerned the controversial Heat in Buildings Bill may face the axe.
Policies in the flagship legislation include stringent new energy standards for all households by 2033 and an end to gas boilers by no later than 2045, replaced by technologies such as heat pumps.
There are difficult discussions to be had about how all this is paid for. But if the Swinney administration was to abandon or water down these plans now, when climate action is more crucial than ever, he would be little better than serial U-turner Rishi Sunak.
It’s true the Scottish people want politicians to prioritise the things that matter – the economy, schools, the NHS.
But poll after poll also shows they care about the planet and want urgent action there as well.
With an election looming, Swinney seems set to retreat to safety-first politics. Five years on from the announcement of a climate emergency, however, there can be no more kicking the can down the road.
As the climate crisis takes hold, leaders who fail to act now won’t be thanked in the long run.
JOHN Swinney has been urged not to dump key green measures – five years after Nicola Sturgeon’s declaration of a “climate emergency”.
It’s feared the new First Minister is set to ditch flagship policies such as phasing out gas boilers and replacing them with heat pumps.
He is reportedly considering the cull after the collapse of the SNP-Green coalition at Holyrood.
Eco-campaigners now fear the Heat in Buildings Bill could face the axe or be watered down.
The proposals, previously spearheaded by the Greens’ Patrick Harvie, required all homes to meet new energy standards by 2033 – and to replace boilers with “clean heat” by 2045.
It was hoped the plan could spark a wave of public and private investment to insulate and retrofit homes and lower bills. But with a £33billion price tag, there have also been concerns about how the plans will impact cash-strapped households.
Fabrice leveque, of conservation body WWF Scotland, said: “We know that by fitting better insulation and moving away from fossil fuel boilers, energy bills are not only lowered, but people live in warmer, healthier homes. “Industry is also crying out for some certainty when it comes to rolling out heat pumps and heat networks. “any further delay in the Heat in Buildings Bill could put at risk not only our net zero targets, but the creation of thousands of jobs.”
Caroline Rance, of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “Five years on it is hard to see the Scottish Government’s declaration of a climate emergency declaration as anything other than empty symbolism.
“If a mass programme of home insulation had begun with that declaration, the impact of the subsequent energy price rises would have been greatly reduced.”
Sturgeon declared a climate emergency in 2019. But her government’s target to slash emissions by 75 per cent by 2030 is now deemed unrealistic.
a Scottish Government spokesman said: “our recent consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill drew almost 1700 responses, which we are currently considering.
“The First Minister will set out his policy and legislative priorities for the remainder of the parliamentary session in due course.”
labour MSP Monica lennon said: “Ditching legislation needed to decarbonise Scotland’s homes and buildings could set back progress and opportunities for a generation.”