Rolling stones

How times change. In the 18th and 19th centuries Scottish granite was being used throughout Europe and paved the streets of London. This once great indigenous industry began to decline in the late 20th century, and a low point was reached three years ago when Aberdeen’s Marischal Square was resurfaced with 180 tonnes of granite imported from China, where the ranges on offer at the massive international stone fair in Xiamen include one marketed under the name Galedonia.

For years, the Scottish public realm has succumbed to a succession of large-scale projects using thousands of tonnes of similar imported material, the latest being the dozens of poplar wood crates, each weighing around a tonne, being delivered to Edinburgh’s Rose Street pedestrian precinct. A further Chinese granite bonanza will no doubt result from the forthcoming socalled Edinburgh City Centre Transformation Strategy.

Does it not occur to those involved in the procurement of such material that the embedded energy implications of shipping the tonnages involved across distances of six to eight thousand nautical miles? Are these horrific environmental deficits being

factored into the Scottish statistics for our national contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions?

The First Minister has tacitly aligned herself with Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion by declaring a “climate emergency”. Meanwhile, within a couple of hundred yards of her official residence we can see for ourselves the evidence of the world’s environment being trashed.

Is this a case of the road to climate hell being paved with good intentions?

DAVID J BLACK Glanville Place, Edinburgh