Transcript What is SEPA doing?

Climate Change and Land
Management – SEPA’s role
Janet Moxley (Senior Scientist – Climate Change)
and Lorna Harris (Wetland Ecologist), SEPA
Content
 Climate Change (Scotland) Act –
what is required? SEPA’s role?
 Analysis of existing monitoring data
(TOC and DOC)
 Link to land management pressures
 Developing policy and guidance
Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009
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80% reduction by 2050
Six greenhouse gases
Interim target 42% 2020
Duties on public bodies to contribute to the
delivery of targets in exercising its powers
(including decision making)
 Adaptation programme
 Land Use Strategy by 2011
 Energy Efficiency Action Plan
Other Scottish Policies
 Government’s Economic
Strategy
 Adaptation Framework
 Renewables Action Plan
20% by 2020
 50% (electricity) by
2020 and 31% by
2011
 11% (heat) by 2020
 10% transport
SEPA’s role in addressing Climate
Change
 Keep up to date with climate change science
 Advise Scottish Government
 Regulate major energy users and producers
under PPC and EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
 Monitor key environmental parameters
 Advise business on energy and resource
efficiency and waste minimisation.
 Promote sustainable flood management
practices and lead flood warning
 Promote soil conservation
 Work with SEARs partners to minimise
emissions from agriculture and rural land use
sectors
TOC in Rivers
 58 sites river have > 10 years
data. (All in N)
 39 of these showed TOC
concentration increases, the rest
no trend.
 Only decreases were the Carron
(Falkirk) and Forth (Craigforth)
(< 10 y data).
 Increases mainly in east.
 Mean increase 0.12 mg/l/y –
increase of 0.25 mg/l over 20
years (doubling).
 Concs +vely correlated with flow
 “Spikier” results at 15 sites in NE
DOC in Lochs
 Good network of sites,
but generally < 6 years
data.
 Decreases in
concentration at 45
sites, increases at 8
sites.
 Unclear why lochs
show different trend to
rivers
Land Management and Carbon
 Changes in land management and use
suggested as causes of increased carbon
loss from soils (TOC increase in rivers)
 Soils in Scotland contain ~3000Mt C
 Peatlands contain 53% of Scottish carbon
store
 Scottish peatlands may accumulate up to 0.4
Mt C per year – if in good condition...
 Floods Act requires sustainable approach to
flood management
 Restoring peatlands can help to mitigate
climate change by improving carbon storage
 Work with SEARs partners to minimise carbon
loss from all organic soils/peatland usages
 Agriculture
 Hydro schemes
 Wind farms
 Wind Farms - Various problems arise when a
wind farm is located on peat;
 Changes to hydrology (drainage/flooding)
 Run-off, silt control
 Uncertain terrain – variable peat depth
 Excavated peat – suitable use?
 SEPA is working with SEARs partners, the
Scottish Renewables Forum, and the wind
farm industry to find solutions to the
various problems (including waste peat)
 Ongoing projects;
 ‘Good practice guidance for wind farm
construction’ – workshop in May 09, draft
documents produced
 Series of meetings with SEARs partners
and members of the wind farm industry to
discuss problems and identify solutions