Low Carbon Scotland | Low Carbon Scotland 2016: Meeting the Emissions Reduction Targets

Join 3ppp (Public-Private-Partnerships) on the 4th June 2019 in partnership with Low Carbon Club at this years sixth annual projects conference.

Low Carbon Scotland 4th June 2019; Driving the transition to a zero carbon economy is a unique conference that will address Scotland’s current carbon position and allow us to hear from those leading and driving the policies and proposals. One of the main focuses of the conference is to discuss how public sector can reduce their carbon emissions, the current situation will be highlighted and a discussion surrounding how this can be improved and delivered will play an imperative part within the conference with some world leading technologies & innovations of best practice to be showcased to our delegation.

In 2009, the Scottish Parliament passed the most ambitious climate change legislation anywhere in the world at the time, and in May 2018 the Scottish Government introduced a new Bill that increases that ambition even further. The Scottish Government’s new Climate Change Bill proposes a 90% reduction target for all greenhouse gases which means net zero emissions of carbon dioxide by 2045, in other words Scotland will be carbon neutral. In February 2018 we published our statutory Climate Change Plan, which sets out the actions we will take to reduce emissions by 66% by 2032. This document provides a summary of the full Climate Change Plan.

"CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO LINK TO THE CLIMATE CHANGE PLAN"

Tackling climate change is a moral responsibility but it is also an economic opportunity. Low carbon technologies will revolutionise the global economy and, in order to grasp these economic opportunities, we must act quickly and with purpose or be left behind. As the First Minister of Scotland said at the annual United Nations climate change conference in Bonn in November 2017, ‘our ambitions must live up to the scale of the challenge, and our actions must live up to our ambitions’. Our Climate Change Plan sets out our domestic plans to ensure we continue to be leaders and collaborators in global action to tackle climate change.

Clearly, Scotland's ambitious plans cannot and should not be delivered by Government alone. Every household and every organisation has a role to play. Our aim is to enable and support the changes required now, as well as stimulating the innovation and creativity required for the future. Of course we cannot predict with certainty exactly how we will achieve all of our ambitions through to 2032. We do not know how global and regional market forces will evolve or how some technologies will develop. Our role is to chart a path through this uncertainty – putting the welfare of our people, the health of our economy, and the protection and enhancement of our natural environment at the heart of our transformation. The Climate Change Plan is a step along this path.

Scotland is a world leader in tackling climate change and Scotland’s transition to a more prosperous, low carbon society is already well underway.

In 2015, Scotland had reduced its emissions by 41% from the 1990 baseline, and in 2017 Scotland generated 68.1% of its electricity requirements from renewables. Scotland’s success in decarbonising electricity paves the way for transformational change across all sectors of the economy and society, particularly as electricity will be increasingly important as a power source for heat and transport.

Vision:

By 2032, Scotland will have reduced its emissions by 66%, relative to the baseline, while growing the economy, increasing the wellbeing of the people of Scotland and protecting and enhancing our natural environment.

Outcomes:

A healthier society An enhanced and protected natural environment A diversified, resilient and sustainable economy

Where will we be in 2032?

By 2032, our energy sector will be flourishing and competitive, delivering secure affordable energy for Scotland’s households, communities and businesses. Our industrial sector will continue to lead the way in decarbonisation, with reduced carbon intensity from adopting new technologies and increasing energy productivity. Homes and buildings will be more efficient, with less energy required to heat and cool them – critical to both reduce levels of fuel poverty and costs for businesses. In transport, people and businesses will have access to cleaner forms of travel and transport, and our urban air quality will improve. People will have significantly more opportunities to walk and cycle, important for both their physical and mental health as well as improving our urban environment. The landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste will be phased out and our circular economy will mean more productive businesses, new markets and reduced reliance on scarce resources. Our agriculture sector will be among the most efficient global food producers with one of the lowest carbon intensities in the world, and our ambitious peatland restoration and tree planting programmes will enhance Scotland’s biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as provide wonderful natural places for local people and visitors to enjoy and relax.

By 2032

Scotland’s electricity system, already largely decarbonised, will be increasingly important as a power source for heat and transport.

Scotland’s buildings will be insulated to an appropriate level, and will increasingly be heated and cooled by low carbon technologies.

Scotland will have phased out the need to buy petrol and diesel engine cars and vans, implemented low emission zones in Scotland’s largest cities and made significant progress in reducing emissions from buses, HGVs and ferries.

Our industrial sector will be more energy efficient, more productive, and increasingly use more innovative technologies, presenting significant economic and competitive opportunities.

Landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste will have ended, we will have reduced food waste, more of Scotland’s waste will be recycled and a more circular economy will present significant economic opportunities.

Scotland’s woodland cover will have increased, and more of our peatlands will be restored to good condition, benefiting people, biodiversity and ecosystems.

The Scottish agriculture sector will be among the lowest carbon and most efficient food production systems in the world.

Scottish Government have recently announced a new taskforce to advise on securing a fair transition away from fossil fuels that ensures carbon intensive industries and the people they employ can "maximise the opportunities of a low carbon future”. The Just Transition Commission will provide advice to the Scottish Government on its decarbonisation plans, and how to deliver fair work and tackle inequalities through a "sustainable and inclusive labour market”.

Low Carbon Society:

The Scottish Government cannot and should not deliver the Climate Change Plan alone. Local government, other public bodies, the private sector, the third sector, communities, households and individuals all have important roles to play.

Scotland’s private sector will drive much of the decarbonisation effort as well as benefitting from it, from savings made through energy efficiency measures, through to innovative new industries, clean technologies and access to global markets.

The public sector is increasingly demonstrating how its own operations are driving down emissions, both through its statutory duties and its wider leadership role.

Third sector organisations In Scotland continue to be successful in promoting climate change awareness and action in Scotland.

The role of communities across Scotland is also crucial. Through the Climate Challenge Fund, the Scottish Government enables communities to develop their own local solutions to reduce emissions.

All of us can make a difference at some level, whether it is in the home, the work place, or in schools, colleges and universities. Understanding how and why we behave the way we do is crucial. The Scottish Government provides resources such as Climate Conversations and Greener Scotland – Let’s Go Greener Together – to help us understand why climate change is an issue and what we can collectively do to reduce our own impacts.

The transition to a low carbon Scotland requires all of us to take action together: changing how we get around; how we heat and cool our homes and buildings; and how we deal with waste. Understanding how and why people behave the way they do is crucial to designing suitable policy interventions. To support the development and the implementation of proposals and polices in the Plan, we have used the Individual, Social, Material ( ISM) approach to changing behaviours, and where suitable, we have used behaviour change as an enabler in delivery of policy outcomes in this Plan.

The Planning system:

Buildings, streets and spaces are the ingredients of place, and placemaking is a useful way of thinking about how the planning system can help Scotland decarbonise. The planning system is a means by which the missing infrastructure which would assist low carbon choices to be made, can be identified and developed in the future. Our buildings are already becoming more energy efficient and our streets are changing to accommodate electric vehicle charging and active travel infrastructure. Using the placemaking approach and design-led principles can help to create places where sustainable and active lifestyles become the default, easy option.

Scotland’s Energy Strategy:

The Scottish Energy Strategy, published in December 2017 and the first of its kind, sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for the future energy system in Scotland. The Strategy describes the ways in which the Scottish Government will strengthen the development of local energy, protect and empower consumers, and support Scotland’s climate change ambitions while tacking poor energy provision.

The vision is guided by three core principles:

A whole-system view - broadening the focus of the Scottish Government’s energy policy to include heat and transport, alongside electricity and energy efficiency - creating an integrated approach which recognises the effect that each element of the energy system has on the others.

An inclusive energy transition - recognising that the transition to a low carbon economy over the coming decades must happen in a way that tackles inequality and poverty, and promotes a fair and inclusive jobs market.

A smarter local energy model - enabling a smarter, more coordinated, approach to planning and meeting distinct local energy needs that will link with developments at the national scale.

Built around the following six energy priorities, the Strategy will guide the decisions that the Scottish Government, working with partner organisations, needs to make over the coming decades:

Promote consumer engagement and protect consumers from excessive costs.

Champion Scotland’s renewable energy potential, creating new jobs and supply chain opportunities.

Improve the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes, buildings, industrial processes and manufacturing.

Continue to support investment and innovation across our oil and gas sector, including exploration, innovation, subsea engineering, decommissioning and carbon capture and storage.

Ensure homes and businesses can continue to depend on secure, resilient and flexible energy supplies.

Empower communities by supporting innovative local energy systems and networks.

The Strategy includes a range of actions to deliver the Scottish Government’s goals, including a £20 million Energy Investment Fund, which will build on the success of the Renewable Energy Investment Fund, and a £60 million Low Carbon Innovation Fund, to provide dedicated support for renewable and low carbon infrastructure over and above wider interventions to support innovation across the economy.

Transport (Scotland) Bill:

The Transport (Scotland) Bill is designed to help make Scotland’s transport network cleaner, smarter and more accessible than ever before. It aims to empower local authorities and establish consistent standards in order to tackle current and future challenges, while delivering a more responsive and sustainable transport system for everyone in Scotland.

The Bill contains provisions on smart ticketing on public transport in Scotland and to tackle obstructive and inconsiderate parking. It will also enhance and improve the role of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner and the wider regulation of road works and provide local transport authorities with a viable and flexible set of options to influence the provision of bus services in their area to better meet local users’ needs.

Scotland’s travel and transport system – cleaner, greener and healthier

While we will increase our focus on the opportunities that technological change is delivering, we will also continue to deliver improvements in traditional infrastructure that deliver real economic benefits and improved connectivity.

We will also commence work for the second Strategic Transport Projects Review in the Dumfries and Galloway area. This will include looking at the access to the ports at Cairnryan.

We are investing more than £1 billion annually in public transport and other sustainable transport options to encourage people to use an alternative to their cars while delivering the largest transport investment programme that Scotland has ever seen.

Some of the actions that will take place, include the following:

Doubling investment in active travel from £40 million to £80 million a year from 2018-19.

Identifying a public body to bid for the next ScotRail franchise contract and setting out the next steps in preparation of the bid.

Creating a Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) in one of our cities by the end of next year – and working with local authorities to introduce LEZs into our four biggest cities by 2020 and to all Air Quality Management Areas by 2023.

Expand our electric charging infrastructure between now and 2022, whether in rural, urban or domestic settings. Easy access to smart and rapid charge points will mean ‘range anxiety’ will be a thing of the past in Scotland.

A bold new ambition on ultra-low emission vehicles, including electric cars and vans, with a target to phase out the need for petrol and diesel vehicles by 2032, underpinned by a range of actions to expand the charging network, support innovative approaches and encourage the public sector to lead the way.

We are investing more than £1 billion annually in public transport and other sustainable transport options to encourage people to use an alternative to their cars.

Smart Ticketing:

We are continuing with our programme to allow all journeys on Scotland’s bus, rail, ferry, subway and tram networks to be made using some form of smart ticketing or payment. The entire ScotRail network is smart-ready and ScotRail continues to develop and deliver smart ticketing products.

"Partnerships” between all sectors are vital in overcoming the challenges and in discovering new opportunities to help create a better future that we all want for Scotland.

Low Carbon Scotland 2019 - Driving the transition to a zero carbon economy will be an opportunity for you to be part of this inspiring journey.