19.12.2008
The Scottish Parliament’s Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee is today calling for views on legislation which sets ambitious targets for reducing Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions over the next 40 years.
The committee is encouraging all individuals and organisations with an interest in climate change to provide their views on the Scottish Government’s Climate Change (Scotland) Bill published earlier this month.
The committee is seeking views on the wide-ranging provisions in the Bill, including:
- the introduction of a statutory framework designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050;
- the setting of annual targets for emissions reduction for each year from 2010 to 2050 and, from the year 2020, annual targets that are at least 3% lower than the target for the previous year;
- the concept of a “net Scottish emissions account” as a point of reference against which the target for reducing greenhouse gases can be measured, and the inclusion of international aviation and shipping emissions in this process;
- the possible introduction of a Scottish Committee on Climate Change to provide independent, expert advice;
- new duties for public bodies in relation to climate change;
- an action plan providing details of the energy efficiency of buildings in Scotland and ways of making improvements;
- proposed measures designed to improve waste management and recycling;
- changes to the role of the Forestry Commission in Scotland to enable it to play a greater part in tackling climate change;
Committee Convener Patrick Harvie MSP said: “Climate change is the biggest challenge of modern times which, if unchecked, will destroy the lives of people across the world. The Bill has the potential to allow Scotland to make its mark and lead the way with innovative and effective measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"The committee will carry out robust scrutiny of the legislation to ensure that it will provide the best framework to allow us to meet the challenging target of 80% reductions in emissions by 2050. It is therefore hugely important that as many individuals and organisations as possible take the opportunity to provide us with their views on the Scottish Government’s proposals.”