Transcript Open - The Scottish Government

Workshop 1 – all groups
Highlands & Islands Enterprise
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Reminder: all discussions will be recorded though non-attributable
Public bodies and local government play an extremely important role in
tackling climate change because:
– The public sector employs almost 24% of the Scottish workforce – local
government employs 13% alone!
– They sets and deliver policies which have a direct and indirect impact
on emissions in communities
The Bill will create a framework for action for 4 decades – this is a long-term
framework and will, hopefully, outlast this and many future administrations
and, therefore, other single initiatives currently in place
The Bill can serve as a vehicle to introduce measures in the future – we
may not need these measures currently and we can not anticipate the exact
measures which will be needed, but using secondary legislation in the future
can allow government to react quickly to changing circumstances while still
ensuring parliamentary scrutiny
The Highlands and Islands have a very unique economy and many of its
communities have particular challenges (and opportunities!) in relation to
climate change – we want to know if there is a place in the proposed
framework to take this into account
Workshop 1 – groups 1 & 3: Setting budgets
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Possible factors to take into account when setting emissions budgets include:
– Likely economic growth;
– Likely population growth;
– Likely technological progress;
– Social impacts, including impact on rural areas;
– Environmental impacts;
– Impacts on the economy and business competitiveness;
– International circumstances;
– Scientific knowledge about climate change.
Examples of emission-intensive infrastructure include: fuel refining, transport, energy
production
It is proposed that an independent body will provide advice to government on what
level to set budgets at, based on the factors above; the UK Committee on Climate
Change has been set up to provide that advice to the UK Government and the
devolved administrations
Advice from the Committee on Climate Change will include broad advice on which
sectors will be able to provide reductions and the basis for this advice will be
published openly
Workshop 1 – groups 2 & 4: Holding government
and the public sector to account
• Consultation does not propose that a new scrutiny system on the
Scottish Government should be created to compliment existing
Parliamentary scrutiny but it does seek views on whether this is
sufficient, what needs to be included in annual reports by the
Scottish Government, and whether new functions be kept at armslength from government (i.e. given to a public body)
• No system of sanctions is proposed if government does not achieve
targets or budgets
• Enabling powers in the Bill would allow Ministers to create a duty on
the public sector to take certain action on climate change – these
have not been defined and there is no intention currently to use
those powers – the creation of a new duty would be subject to
further consultation
Workshop 2 – groups 1& 3
Measuring the target and unique issues
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The Greenhouse Gas Inventories measure emissions produced in Scotland;
they are unlikely to show explicitly progress made in certain areas such as
reducing energy demand, improving energy efficiency or increasing
renewable electricity generation in Scotland (as Scotland is a net exporter of
electricity and the grid is UK-wide)
• An end-user inventory would take into account consumption of electricity,
better taking into account reducing energy demand and renewable
electricity generation
• Separate targets could be given for energy demand and renewable
electricity (where it is within devolved competence) but this would give
Government less flexibility as to where to reduce emissions
2) See consultation document for further detail – if difficult, please skip
• Excluding EU ETS effort: The disaggregated GHG inventory measures
emissions produced in Scotland which means that for those installations
that participate in the EU ETS there is no account taken of any allowances
they buy and sell.
• Including EU ETS effort: non-traded sectors would have to do more than
their fair share to achieve the target
Workshop 2 – groups 2 & 4
Unique issues for the Highlands and Islands
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Possible factors to take into account when setting emissions budgets
include:
– Likely economic growth;
– Likely population growth;
– Likely technological progress;
– Social impacts, including impact on rural areas;
– Environmental impacts;
– Impacts on the economy and business competitiveness;
– International circumstances;
– Scientific knowledge about climate change.
It is proposed that an independent body will provide advice to government
on what level to set budgets at, based on the factors above; the UK
Committee on Climate Change has been set up to provide that advice to the
UK Government and the devolved administrations
Advice from the Committee on Climate Change will include broad advice on
which sectors will be able to provide reductions and the basis for this advice
will be published openly