Analysis done by WWF Scotland has suggested the Scottish Government will soon reduce the amount of money it commits to climate change policies.
According to WWF Scotland, funding is set to reduce despite commitments made by the Government to commit to climate change policies, and to make energy efficiency a National Infrastructure Priority. This last is of supreme importance in Scotland, where more than half of the country’s greenhouse emissions stem from heating homes and businesses, meaning energy efficiency improvements can have massive impact on the country’s overall emissions reductions.
Specifically, according to WWF Scotland analysis, the Draft Budget currently includes a 9.12% decrease in funding.
“These new figures undermine the Scottish Government’s claim to have embedded climate change in its draft budget,” said Lang Banks, WWF Scotland director. “With the Paris conference having demonstrated increased international commitment to tackling climate change, we should be stepping up our action not pulling back. If we’re to secure the economic and social benefits of being at the forefront of global action on climate change, the Scottish Government must invest in Scotland’s low carbon future.”
Scotland spent 2015 as one of the highlights of Europe’s renewable energy industry, repeatedly making moves separate to that of the United Kingdom Government, breaking renewable energy generating records, and pioneering wind development. Earlier this month, WWF Scotland revealed the country’s wind industry had a “huge” year generating phenomenal amounts of wind energy and accounting for 100% of household electricity needs for at least six months of the year.
“Without doubt, 2015 was a huge year for renewables, with wind turbines and solar panels helping to ensure millions of tonnes of climate-damaging carbon emissions were avoided,”said Lang Banks. “With 2016 being a critical year politically, we’d like to see each of the political parties back policies that would enable Scotland become the EU’s first fully renewable electricity nation by 2030.”
However, that now appears to be a declining possibility.
