Government criticised for missing emissions target
The Scottish Government has been criticised for missing its first target under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. Environment and Climate Change Minister Stewart Stevenson blamed an excessively cold winter for emissions of greenhouse gases rising six per cent to 55.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2010.
Mike Robinson, a board member of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, acknowledged that rules to make new homes more carbon efficient and a new Scottish Government consultation into improving existing homes are “steps in the right direction”, but complained about huge delays to get things implemented.
He said: “We need to be moving much more quickly with things like draught-proofing, cavity-wall insulation and alternative heating. We could easily lose five or 10 years here.”
On transport, which together with housing makes up close to half of all emissions, he called on the government to take more of a lead in improving the behaviour of drivers. SCCS’s demands include reduced speeds, car-sharing and increased spending on cycling infrastructure.
