The Updated Climate Change Plan: 2050 Climate Group is giving evidence, and we want you to help us shape our submission!
2050 Climate Group has been invited to give evidence on the updated Climate Change Plan to the Scottish Parliament’s Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee. All our policy work is directly based on the views of young people and the 2050 Leaders Network, and our policy team are keen to hear what you think so we can incorporate it into our response. You can fill out our short survey here, and read on below for more background info:
What does the updated Climate Change Plan say?
Background
Earlier this month, the Scottish Government published several policy papers which outline their updated plan for the transition and pathway to net-zero emissions. Scotland’s emissions reduction targets are legally laid out in the Climate Change Act, which came into effect in 2009. In September 2019, this law was amended to make the targets more ambitious than they originally were: Scotland must now reduce its emissions by 75% by 2030 (compared to 1990) , and reach net-zero emissions by 2045. On the back of this, the Government committed to updating the 2018 Climate Change Plan in line with the new targets, by last April. The COVID-19 pandemic postponed the update, but it has now been published. COVID-19 also altered the focus of the plan itself, evident in the title: ‘Securing a Green Recovery on a Path to Net Zero: Climate Change Plan 2018-2032 - update’.
Accompanying the update are several complimentary papers published in tandem which are well worth reading:
We encourage you to read the plan yourself, however we have summarised some of the key outputs and targets below:
Electricity
There are very few new specific policies or targets on electricity. This section is largely about other upcoming strategies and policies that will be announced in the future.
Buildings
All new buildings will have to be zero-emissions for heat from 2024. The government will consult on whether it is feasible to enact this standard any sooner.
£1.6 billion will be invested in heat and energy efficiency over the next Parliament. This money will be used to leverage-in UK Government and private finance to bring in additional funding. The government aim is that, as a minimum, the rate of zero emissions heat installations in new and existing homes and buildings doubles every year up to 2025.
Transport
There is a new commitment to reduce the total kilometres travelled by car by 20% by 2030. The government will phase out the need for new fossil fuel vehicles by 2030, two years earlier than previously announced. They will also work with public bodies to make this 2025 for light commercial vehicles.
£120 million over 5 years is set aside for zero-emission buses, with the majority of new buses purchased being zero-emission from 2024. Rail travel will be fully decarbonised by 2035. 30% of government-owned ferries will be low-emission by 2032. Flights within Scotland will be decarbonised by 2040. The government wants to create the “world’s first zero emission aviation region” in the Highlands and Islands.
£500m over five years for active travel projects, plus an additional £50 million to create new “Active Freeways” routes between towns, cities and national landmarks. (Note: The government is already spending £100m a year on active travel projects - so this is a real-terms funding cut, once inflation is taken into account.)
Industry
This section of the plan relies heavily on Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs), with the government saying that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is “essential” to reaching net zero emisisons.
£180 million for a new Emerging Energy Technologies Fund to support the development of hydrogen and CCS. Another £5 million is set aside for a Carbon Capture and Utilisation Challenge Fund, which will require private finance match funding.
£34 million for the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, which funds energy-efficiency and decarbonisation projects at industrial sites. £26 million for a Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund, in order to support innovation in low carbon technology, processes and infrastructure.
£100 million to help businesses create new, green jobs via the Green Jobs Fund. Half of this will go to “businesses which provide sustainable or low carbon products and services” to help them grow and create jobs. The other half will help businesses “capitalise on [the government’s] investment in low carbon infrastructure” - but no additional detail is given on what that means in practice.
The Scottish Government wants to work with the UK and other devolved administrations to establish a UK Emissions Trading Scheme to replace the EU scheme.
Waste
By 2050:
No biodegradable municipal waste will be sent to landfill.
70% of all waste will be recycled.
There will be a 33% reduction in food waste.
The government will work with partners to develop a plan for waste beyond 2025. They are currently consulting on banning a number of single-use plastic items.
Land-use
Forest cover will continue to be expanded, up to 18,000 hectares a year by 2024/25. (The current target is 12,000 hectares a year). £150 million will be given to various agencies to help achieve this. The woodland carbon market will increase by at least 50% by 2025.
The government admits that annual peatland restoration needs to massively increase from current levels. Current targets of 20,000 hectares a year are not being met - only 25,000 hectares of peatland have been restored since 2012. Although £250 million (over 10 years) was previously announced for peatland restoration, no new targets or measures are included as part of this updated climate change plan.
Agriculture
This section does not contain many substantial outputs or targets. There are promises to support farmers and crofters to adopt low-emission technologies and sustainable processes by piloting new schemes and approaches, but few details are given. “Environmental conditionality” will be introduced to the agricultural sector, but again, few details are given of what this means in practice. The government will also provide “enhanced advice” to farmers and crofters.
Our Engagement - have your say
Four committees are reviewing the Climate Change Plan update and you can provide personal views here. The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee has invited 2050 Climate Group to give evidence at a parliamentary session on the 26th of January on the updated Climate Change Plan. This is an excellent opportunity for us to provide input from young people and to make sure their priorities are rightly represented in Scotland’s transition. However, to make our response as true and impactful as possible, we are asking for input from our network.
The role of 2050 Climate Group’s policy team is to help engage and represent young people in the politics of climate change. As such, we regularly undertake surveys and workshops so we can understand what young people in Scotland’s views are on climate issues. We then try to integrate this understanding into our policy work, whilst remaining respectful to the fact that priorities, opinion and views are constantly evolving. Based on our recent outreach and policy work, we have decided to speak to the committee about two themes within the plan which we know are of real significance to young people:
Green jobs, education & retraining programmes
Public and low carbon transport (including active travel)
We suspect that the updated Climate Change Plan does not meet the ambitions that young people have for significant climate action and a green recovery to the coronavirus pandemic - and that’s where you come in!
We have prepared a short questionnaire where you can provide us with your views on the updated plan relating to our chosen themes. We welcome contributions from all young people living in all areas of Scotland. The form will close for submissions on the 15th January. You can find the survey here.