Low-carbon Scotland is ahead of the rest of the UK, but still has a long
way to go.
Most political matters in Scotland are being framed by the independence
debate. The decision on September 18 could make a very big difference when
it comes to Scotland’s future on so many issues. Whichever way the vote
goes, I’m hopeful that Scotland will continue to lead when it comes to
driving the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future.
The wind will still blow and the tides will still turn and Scotland will
continue to have abundant renewable energy resources, with some of the best
potential for wind and marine energy in the world. The country remains
committed, on a cross-party basis, to taking world-leading action on
tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions. By 2020 Scotland
aims to reduce emissions by 42% relative to 1990, and to generate the
equivalent of 100% of its electricity consumption from renewables.
This commitment was demonstrated in the latest figures in a progress report
from the Committee on Climate Change, showing a 9.9% annual reduction in
Scotland’s carbon emissions. This compares favourably to the UK as a whole,
where the reduction is 6.9%. What has been achieved represents good
progress but Scotland’s ambitions are set very high and meeting them will
not be easy.
On renewables, there needs to be an increase in the rate of deployment that
will make 2020 targets achievable. There are enough projects in the
pipeline but it is not clear that these will all continue to be financed
and built at the required rate. Although in 2011 there was a 44% increase
in the generation of electricity from renewables, in 2013 investment in
offshore wind farms dropped to £28.9 million, a decline of 55% on 2012.
Energy efficiency is one area where Scotland is not far ahead of the game
compared with the rest of the UK. There are still significant and critical
opportunities. Improving buildings with measures such as better insulation,
upgraded lighting or new boilers may not be as visible or totemic as a wind
turbine with a 100-metre-long blade but reducing demand for energy must go
hand-in-hand. There is still so much low-hanging fruit to be taken, saving
money from energy bills along the way, particularly for smaller businesses.
These are projects that typically require relatively small investments,
have quick paybacks, and provide long-term value.
Perhaps some of the largest carbon cutting opportunities are related to
heat. This includes implementing district heating schemes in urban
communities, as has already proven successful in Aberdeen. There also needs
to be significant increases in the use of biomass and heat pumps to provide
heat in rural communities off the gas grid. The Scottish Government is
supporting this with its District Heating Loan Fund and Warm Homes Fund.
This will help to address fuel poverty as well as climate change, with
targets to connect 40,000 more homes to heat networks by 2020.
The Carbon Trust has been involved in the key project to produce a heat map
of the whole of Scotland, which will help planning authorities and
developers to identify where projects could be suitable. Biomass heating,
meanwhile, is becoming more established, often supported by locally
supplied sustainable fuel from Scottish forestry. Even if all the projects
in the pipeline were implemented by 2020, however, the target to produce
11% of heat demand from low carbon sources would be unlikely to be met.
Scotland may be ahead of the rest of the UK in a number of areas; yet, with
high ambitions and the urgent need to address global climate change, we
cannot be distracted from continuing action.
Regardless of what happens in the referendum, the message must continue to
be the same: a low- carbon transition is will be difficult but it is
essential. It will deliver substantial economic, social and environmental
benefits. Scotland is up to the challenge.
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