Low-carbon Scotland is ahead of the rest of the UK, but still has a long way to go.
Most political matters in Scotland are being framed by the independence debate. The decision on September 18 could make a very big difference when it comes to Scotland's future on so many issues. Whichever way the vote goes, I'm hopeful that Scotland will continue to lead when it comes to driving the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future.
The wind will still blow and the tides will still turn and Scotland will continue to have abundant renewable energy resources, with some of the best potential for wind and marine energy in the world. The country remains committed, on a cross-party basis, to taking world-leading action on tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions. By 2020 Scotland aims to reduce emissions by 42% relative to 1990, and to generate the equivalent of 100% of its electricity consumption from renewables.
This commitment was demonstrated in the latest figures in a progress report from the Committee on Climate Change, showing a 9.9% annual reduction in Scotland's carbon emissions. This compares favourably to the UK as a whole, where the reduction is 6.9%. What has been achieved represents good progress but Scotland's ambitions are set very high and meeting them will not be easy.
On renewables, there needs to be an increase in the rate of deployment that will make 2020 targets achievable. There are enough projects in the pipeline but it is not clear that these will all continue to be financed and built at the required rate. Although in 2011 there was a 44% increase in the generation of electricity from renewables, in 2013 investment in offshore wind farms dropped to £28.9 million, a decline of 55% on 2012.
Energy efficiency is one area where Scotland is not far ahead of the game compared with the rest of the UK. There are still significant and critical opportunities. Improving buildings with measures such as better insulation, upgraded lighting or new boilers may not be as visible or totemic as a wind turbine with a 100-metre-long blade but reducing demand for energy must go hand-in-hand. There is still so much low-hanging fruit to be taken, saving money from energy bills along the way, particularly for smaller businesses. These are projects that typically require relatively small investments, have quick paybacks, and provide long-term value.
Perhaps some of the largest carbon cutting opportunities are related to heat. This includes implementing district heating schemes in urban communities, as has already proven successful in Aberdeen. There also needs to be significant increases in the use of biomass and heat pumps to provide heat in rural communities off the gas grid. The Scottish Government is supporting this with its District Heating Loan Fund and Warm Homes Fund. This will help to address fuel poverty as well as climate change, with targets to connect 40,000 more homes to heat networks by 2020.
The Carbon Trust has been involved in the key project to produce a heat map of the whole of Scotland, which will help planning authorities and developers to identify where projects could be suitable. Biomass heating, meanwhile, is becoming more established, often supported by locally supplied sustainable fuel from Scottish forestry. Even if all the projects in the pipeline were implemented by 2020, however, the target to produce 11% of heat demand from low carbon sources would be unlikely to be met.
Scotland may be ahead of the rest of the UK in a number of areas; yet, with high ambitions and the urgent need to address global climate change, we cannot be distracted from continuing action.
Regardless of what happens in the referendum, the message must continue to be the same: a low- carbon transition is will be difficult but it is essential. It will deliver substantial economic, social and environmental benefits. Scotland is up to the challenge.
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