A solid ‘Greenprint’ for
What should the idea of ‘rebuilding better’ look like for Scotland’s economy, asks Elizabeth Leighton
ately. Some of these measures are also recommended by the Just Transition Commission in its recent report on the green recovery.
We need to make cities and towns more liveable and resilient – with space for physical distancing in pedestrian areas and cycle lanes; faster, reliable and zero emission buses with dedicated bus lanes; and a Community Health and Wealth Fund to help local authorities design big low carbon projects – district heating, active travel, EV charging – attracting private investment and creating a steady pipeline of construction jobs.
We can retrofit our leaky and energy-wasting buildings all over Scotland by immediately doubling existing fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes which already have large numbers of clients waiting in the queue. Financial support and advice should also be ramped up to encourage homeowners and businesses to switch to clean, modern, renewable heat, at the same time maximising opportunities for manufacture and installation.
Fresh commitments to fund climate emergency work on our land – in farming, forestry and peatland restoration – can provide critical employment in rural areas. This means longer term support for the Forestry Grant scheme and the restoration and care of our natural assets.
Enterprise support for innovative businesses that have emerged from the Covid-19 crisis – accelerating the shift to low carbon, circular economy operations, shortening supply chains and boosting local jobs –for example by supporting local food growing, processing and distribution.
The public purse can’t fund all of this – so the Scottish Government will need to create the right environment to unlock private investment. This can be done through incentives, regulation, guidance, setting targets and pump priming.
It’s also important to prepare Scotland’s workforce for the growth in green jobs – in engineering, construction, planning, strategy and analysis.
For example, a Renewables Transition Training Fund would support oil and gas workers to join the renewable energy industry.
We know that the Covid-19 crisis has fallen disproportionately on young people, women, those already in low wage, precarious employment, and BAME communities. So, the need for a just transition to a netzero Scotland could not be clearer – and the economic recovery plan must ensure the benefits and costs of the response are shared fairly across the country.
In 2019, the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government set out a broad package of policies and commitments to respond to the climate emergency. In 2020, we cannot afford any delay in taking forward those commitments and going further – for the climate, and for the many economic opportunities the low carbon economy offers. We need a plan that sets out how we can recover from the public health and economic impacts of Covid-19 while accelerating our response to the climate emergency – a solid ‘greenprint’ for Scotland’s economic recovery. Elizabeth Leighton, Secretariat, Climate Emergency Response Group