Giving Evidence to Parliament on the Climate Change Plan Update
At the end of January 2050 Climate Group was invited to speak to MSPs in the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee as part of an evidence session on the Climate Change Plan Update (CCPU). Finlay Bain Kerr, one of our Policy volunteers, attended on behalf of 2050 Climate Group’s Policy Subgroup. In this blog he reflects on the session and the significance of youth engagement with climate policy.
Context
The 2018 Climate Change Plan set out the Scottish Government programme to reach its legally-binding climate change targets across the period 2018-2032. Following amendments to the Climate Change Act, Scotland's new target is to reduce its emissions by 75% by 2030 (compared to 1990), and reach net-zero emissions by 2045. Accordingly, the Climate Change Plan Update (CCPU) changes the original plan in an attempt to meet these more ambitious targets. The CCPU is a key part of how Scotland responds to both the climate emergency and the COVID-19 pandemic - challenges which require urgent action right now. 2050 Climate Group are pleased to be able to voice the concerns of young people on this critical government programme which has great consequences for our short and long term futures. I can safely say I was equally delighted and somewhat nervous to be given the opportunity to represent us in front of the committee on Environment, Climate Change, and Land Reform (ECCLR).
In advance of the evidence session, we had recently surveyed young people to find out what their priorities are for the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections. From the results of the survey, two priority areas stood out as being widely important for young people:
Green jobs, education & retraining programmes
Public and low carbon transport (including active travel)
We decided to focus on these two themes as the base for our evidence, in order to have more impact by covering the most important issues for young people. Further, these themes are also crucial parts of the CCPU and cut across many different themes in the decarbonisation agenda. After completing another round of surveying and information gathering on the focused themes, we were able to build cohesive views and evidence from the input of our respondents and our previous policy work at 2050 Climate Group.
The Session
The evidence session can be viewed here, with our session beginning around 11:21
A transcript of the session can be found here
During the session itself, I was fortunate to feel well supported and prepared with the help of my fellow 2050 Climate Group volunteers. Not only did they help produce my preparatory material, they also watched along, sending encouragement and talking points(the perks of an online session!). Whilst my contributions were quite specific in response to different questions, I stayed loosely within the following themes that our network of young people told us they wanted to prioritise:
Urgency and Detail
Whilst many of the questions were quite specific in nature (looking at you Negative Emission Technologies), I did my best to stress the urgency and policy detail that young people are looking for across Scotland’s climate action and green recovery. We knew from our network and survey respondents that overall, young people did not feel the CCPU goes far enough on either ambition or detail and is still very ambiguous and ‘hands-off’ in many areas. I tried to weave that message about urgency throughout my answers, from greater emphasis on nature-based solutions that are already good to go, to delivering on green jobs and skills that could support the pandemic recovery right now.
Coordinated Cross-Sector Approach
Our survey responses clearly demonstrated that young people felt a coordinated approach was lacking across the CCPU. Using transport as a focus, I drilled in on detailed policies such as a nationwide smart ticketing system across different types of public transport, and expanded free travel for young people. These policies have a direct impact on the kinds of jobs people can access, as well as the places they live. I went on further to emphasise the importance of integrating affordable, low-emission housing with net-zero transport systems, allowing people to live in communities where jobs and services are accessible, and you’re not trapped into car ownership.
Just Transition and Workforce Training
Young people recognise that a just transition which takes into account the different needs of communities across Scotland is essential. It cannot be that the poorest people in society are the ones to be punished and picking up the bill for a crisis they are less responsible for. This links directly into the green jobs, skills and training opportunities that young people feel are vitally important, which I also raised as a key point. I pressed here to ask why there was no clarity on the amount of jobs that are not only necessary, but likely to be created from the CCPU agenda. With mass unemployment a serious issue now and many people looking to switch to jobs with green credentials, more urgency and detail in the plans on how to support the workforce through a green recovery programme would have been desirable.
Response
The ECCLR Committee report to the Scottish Government on the CCPU (resulting from the evidence sessions) can be found here. I was pleased to read the Committee’s statements on cross-sectoral work and the emphasis of the lack of detailed policy across the report. Point 84 in the report was especially important: It states that the CCPU does not guarantee or maximise the potential of a green recovery currently, and that the funding schemes for jobs, training and skills are not clear in the sectors they will impact as well as the level of support they will provide. Finally, the point mentions that the evidence heard suggests “that there is much greater scope for securing and creating additional jobs through delivering nature-based solutions”. Following this submission, I eagerly await updates and changes to the next Climate Change Plan as the Scottish Government responds to different publications and strategies.
Whilst it is always difficult to directly gauge the level of impact possible through this kind of work, I am hopeful and proud that I was able to give voice and raise concerns on issues that really matter to young people. I’m thankful to the public that responded to our surveys and provided incredible insight, to my 2050 Climate Group colleagues whose work and support was irreplaceable, and to the ECCLR Committee for inviting 2050 Climate Group to the session and giving young people a seat at the table. I was pretty chuffed to be able to provide the last words into the session, and I unashamedly used them to shout for more inclusion for young people in policy:
“I would hammer home the point that it is crucial that young people be involved in the development of climate policy and action, and that should include our actions at COP26 this year. We have the unique experience of having grown up in a world with climate uncertainty and, now, pending disaster, so climate change is our past, our present and our future. If I can leave a message with you today, it is this: thank you, and we really appreciate young people being involved in these processes.”