According to an influential advisory body, the Scottish government have been warned to increase its climate change ambitions immediately.
The long term vision set out in a report by the Scottish National to build resilience has not led to real-world action with the Climate Change Committee stating that the fight against climate change had stalled.
With more extreme weather events occurring each year and rising sea levels, there are elevated risks to people, infrastructure and businesses. This is now the second critical intervention by the committee in the past six months.
What Was Noted On The CCC Report?
The report by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has warned that Scotland is not doing enough to protect the country. The CCC is a group of experts providing the UK Government with independent advice on the climate crisis.
Titled ‘Is Scotland Climate Ready?’, the nation was heavily criticised for stalling in taking action, with substantial climate risks for organisations such as airports, ports, telecoms, digital and ICT infrastructure.
The Scottish Government has created a five-year programme that aims to prepare the country for future climate changes, however, the CCC isn’t impressed and would like more to be done.
In addition, it was noted that no measurable targets were included for reducing water demand in the industry. This is despite the vast fall in rates of peatland restoration and the huge risk of future droughts.
Higher temperatures lead to climate change-induced increases in “vector-borne” diseases. These include Lyme disease, which has seen notable rises in cases in recent years, however, there are no plans for dealing with these issues currently.
Have The CCC Made Any Suggestions To Help?
The CCC has made recommendations for the Scottish Government, such as improving its monitoring and evaluation systems. The improvement will help to better assess future climate-related risks.
Other recommendations include focusing on numerous local-level initiatives. These projects will help to create a blueprint for a stronger approach on how to adapt to extreme weather changes.
If there is no urgency, then in the years to come, there will be significant changes that can impact all areas of Scottish society and nature. There needs to be clear, measurable targets to improve how the nation evaluates climate risks and makes sure that the government is held accountable.
How Can Scotland Act Towards Climate Change?
In recent years, an extra £150m for flood risk management has been issued by the government, as well as £12m for coastal change adaptation. With 23% of Scotland’s total carbon emissions coming from buildings, this is a key area to look at.
To combat the rise in carbon emissions, there needs to be a vast improvement in innovations, with estimates looking at £33 billion to convert the Scottish building stock alone.
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However, to do this, it cannot be completed without the help of the private sector as the public funds cannot sustain that cost. With support from the private sector, there are plenty of opportunities for Scottish and UK wide companies to provide solutions to the public sector.
Are There Any Examples Of Scottish Energy Efficiency?
An example of Scotland improving its energy efficiency includes the Cairn Housing Association. They are currently embarking on a new pilot project in Wick to refurbish two properties to the Enerphit standard for retrofit properties.
This will bring increased flexibility in comparison to the traditional Passivhaus standard to accommodate retrofitting challenges. However, it will still celebrate CO2 savings of between 75 and 90%.
In Wick, the two properties will be traditional two and three-bedroom terraces. Every property will come with standard features including cavity wall insulation, external wall insulation as well as triple-glazed windows and doors.
To add to the energy efficiency, innovative measures will be put in place. This includes air source heat pumps. Air source heat pumps are the latest technology that replaces energy-intensive storage heaters, photovoltaic panels, and a battery storage system.
To make sure that air quality is maintained, a decentralised mechanical ventilation system will also be retrofitted. Current estimations predict that once renovations are completed, weekly energy spends will drop to £10 a month from £50 a week.
With energy prices rising more than ever, this new project will support families and provide much-needed protection from fuel poverty. This could see widespread changes to the way the housing association renovates in the future.
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A second project that the housing association is carrying out is in Blairgowrie. A retirement development is in the works to install triple glazing, ground source heat pumps and PV panels with batteries in 35 sheltered housing properties. It is expected to halve energy bills for the tenants once finalised.
Currently, off the coast of Invergordon, Scotland, the world’s biggest tidal energy generator is being placed. This one generator is capable of generating enough electricity to power more than 1,000 homes.
Another example is the MeyGen project. This project is the largest planned tidal stream project in the world, located between Scotland’s northernmost coast and the uninhabited island of Stroma.
Some of the UK’s fasted flowing waters is here due to a natural channel located from the island with the mainland. This creates a sharp acceleration to the millions of tonnes of water flowing between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean every day.
The MeyGen project is in its early stages, however, the first phase alone could generate enough electricity to supply 2,600 homes. There are plenty of potential, it is now up to the UK to take full advantage.
Huge Boost To UK Energy Security After New Production At North Sea Gas Field
This week, under the North Sea off East Anglia, a new gas field was found and produced its ‘first gas’. Alongside this massive discovery, many more developments are on the way that could be crucial to supporting the UK energy crisis.
According to independent offshore exploration and production company IOG, the gas started flowing into the UK gas grid at the weekend from its Blythe well. To add to this news, within days, its second field called Elgood is due to start producing gas.
Both the Blythe and Elgood location is part of the Saturn Banks project. Gas from them will flow into the Norfolk coast to Bacton, meeting demand from the southeast and then the rest of the UK.
Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) has welcomed the announcement. OEUK represents the UK offshore industry and has said the new field will play a vital role in the UK Continental Shelf. This is especially important with the current global energy crisis.
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Furthermore, the announcement will be key for the planned transition to net-zero by 2050 and beyond. A meeting on Monday between leaders of the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry and Boris Johnson was held to discuss ways for the UK to reduce its reliance on Russian energy following the invasion of Ukraine.
A new production hub in the Southern North Sea has been created by Saturn Banks, with the possibility of further discoveries to be linked back to it by pipelines.
This year, Nailsworth developments are expected to begin with another field expected to produce gas towards the end of 2023. This huge milestone has arrived less than 30 months after the final investment decision. Even with technical challenges during the drilling phase, the news is welcomed by many.
Right now, there has never been a more crucial time to bring new UK gas resources onstream. Due to heightened energy security risks across Europe, as well as a continued urgency of the energy transition, many factors combine to issue urgent action.
IOG’s gas has a much lower carbon intensity than imports, so the news was championed by OEUK. The organisation has 400 members that have embraced established industries like oil, gas and offshore wind.
With more emerging technologies, such as hydrogen production and CO2 capture, UK waters could be the global epicentre for innovations. Recent news, such as the Ukraine crisis has given the UK a stark reminder that there is a sharp urgency to become efficient at maintaining its energy supplies.
Experts are concerned that Russia could cut off supply to Europe as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. If this is the case, worldwide wholesale prices would soar. Even though the UK only receives a small amount of its gas from Russia directly, prices would still soar.
The UK government are planning to combat price rises. Thousands of homes in the UK are set to benefit from a new government scheme. A £67 million investment to install insulation and clean heating will see a reduction of up to £200 a year in energy bills.