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media release
everyone - Scotland's environment groups campaigning
together (500,000 supporters, 25 organisations, ONE voice)
Environment report on parliament’s 1st term: ‘good
start but time to deliver’
An independent assessment of the first
four years of the Scottish Parliament (1) has found that the Parliament
and Executive have made big advances
towards addressing environmental concerns, but that they need to step
up a gear to deliver significant action to match the rhetoric.
The report, ‘For
better or worse?’ commissioned by Scottish
Environment LINK for the election as part of its everyone campaign
(2), concludes that the quantity and the quality of legislation and policy
initiatives has achieved far more than anyone could have imagined before
devolution. However, it states that “on too many occasions policy
was announced and strategies published, but the delivery … was
too slow, or is still awaited.”
Spokesperson for the everyone campaign,
George Baxter, said: “The
sheer volume of issues, debates and bills in the first four years is
impressive, we would have been lucky to see 1% of this at Westminster.
The parliament is clearly building a stronger democracy in Scotland,
however we really need to see more serious action to address the environmental
agenda in the next four years.
“The parliament has taken time to find
its feet, now we want to see it deliver. The steep learning curve for
everyone concerned is over and
delays in implementing agreed policy and commitments will be unacceptable
next term.”
The assessment focuses on 7 main areas: Sustainability; Land Reform,
Land Use and Tourism; Waste and Recycling; Air and Water; Energy; Transport;
and Wildlife/conservation. Whilst action on every area did not fully
meet environment groups’ expectations, there was progress to some
degree in every area (results are rated as – no, little, some,
good and excellent - progress):
-
Sustainability (rating – little progress):
Highlights: annual spending review includes distinct
sustainable development reports (started in 2002), First Minister attended
World Summit in Johannesburg.
Environmental Justice adopted as key policy commitment.
Lowlights: no comprehensive strategy for sustainable
development action, incomplete set of targets and indicators against
which to measure progress.
No independent audit of sustainability progress. Forum on sustainability
only just getting off the ground. Moves to embed sustainability in
the education curriculum and in economic policy fell way short of expectations.
-
Land
Reform, Land Use and Tourism (rating – good progress, in
some areas, little in others):
Highlights: Land Reform Act 2003 provides for responsible
access to the countryside and Feudal Tenure abolished. National Parks
created. Organic
action plan adopted.
Lowlights: Need to make land reform and access work
by finalising a code of responsible access and a national path network.
Boundary and planning
control issues in Cairngorms are running sores. Integration of rural
development policies in its infancy and seriously underfunded. Agriculture
policy still needs serious reform.
-
Waste and Recycling (rating – little
progress):
Highlights: Targets finally set to increase recycling
and National Waste Plan agreed. Doorstep recycling for 90% households
promised.
Lowlights: Recycling rate still lowest in Europe.
No target set to reduce volume of waste produced (growing at 1% per
year,
and incineration still
not fully rejected).
-
Air and Water (rating – good progress):
Highlights: The Water Environment Act 2003 hailed
as a breakthrough in progressive legislation with strong measures on
integrating
policies
(for example agriculture), public participation, flood management and
creating a ‘catchment’ based management system for Scotland’s
rivers, lochs and coasts. £75million committed to assisting the
fishing industry.
Lowlights: Lack of commitment to ‘reduce’ climate
pollution levels disappointing despite commitment to energy efficiency
and renewables.
Tougher action needed to address the poor rate of prosecutions and
levels of fines on polluters.
-
Energy (rating – some progress):
Highlights: Welcome commitment to eradicate fuel poverty
and to improve energy efficiency. Target set to generate 40% of electricity
from renewables
by 2020. No support for nuclear power.
Lowlights: Still no action to upgrade the national
grid to harness Scotland’s
burgeoning renewable energy potential. Still no target set to reduce
our climate changing emissions.
-
Transport (rating – little progress):
Highlights: Some progress on integrated transport
delivery plans with new funding for alternatives such as the Edinburgh
Tram scheme
but not
translated to significant change as yet. Commitment to stabilise road
traffic levels by 2021.
Lowlights: A £1billion road-building programme
is the main feature of the Executive's spending plan, with plans for
Glasgow's M74 urban
motorway & Aberdeen's Western Bypass particularly damaging. Traffic
levels still on the rise. Lack of leadership from the Executive on
implementing congestion charges.
-
Wildlife/Conservation (rating - some
progress):
Highlights: Stiffer penalties for wildlife criminals
introduced. Nature Conservation Draft Bill published. Biodiversity
strategy consulted on.
Lowlights:
Action to protect wildlife and wild places in infancy and 4 years
taken to create a Draft Nature Conservation Bill.
The report concludes
with an assessment of the shortfalls which illustrates a comprehensive
wishlist for the next parliamentary term.
Recommended
actions include:
-
Sustainability: complete overall strategy for
sustainable development, with full set of targets and indicators,
and independently assess progress.
Incorporate sustainability into key areas of education and economic
development more fully. Develop a Green Jobs Strategy. Separate the
environment and
sustainability briefs away from rural affairs – give it more
authority over cross cutting issues such as climate change.
-
Land Reform,
Land Use and Tourism: Treble investment in environmentally friendly
agriculture. Reform agriculture policy to support more organic
farming and wider rural diversification opportunities. Fund new path
networks around communities. Incorporate third party right of appeal
into the planning process. Include the Highland Perthshire area within
the boundary of the Cairngorm National Park and improve planning powers.
-
Waste
and Recycling: Reduce waste by providing doorstep recycling for every
household and introduce a plastic bag charge. Set a 1% per year
reduction target for total waste produced by 2010.
-
Air and Water: Set
clear Scottish targets for pollution emission reduction and formulate
a strategy for how this will be achieved. Appoint a marine
Minister – overhaul Scotland’s outdated legislation to
manage the seas better.
-
Energy: Reduce energy consumption and tackle
climate change by improving domestic energy efficiency by 20% by 2010
and a further 20% by 2020.
Develop strategic and spatial plans for wind farms. Lobby Westminster
to help fund the upgrading of the National Grid to help renewables
take off.
-
Transport: Reduce road traffic levels by 10% by 2010 and introduce
congestion charging in major cities. Redirect at least two thirds
of the £1billion
planned for road building to public transport, walking and cycling.
Stabilise growth in air traffic – the most environmentally
damaging form of transport.
-
Wildlife/Conservation: Enact the draft Nature Conservation
Bill as a priority. Increase resources for Police Wildlife Liaison
Officers and
Procurators Fiscal to investigate and prosecute wildlife criminals.
For
further information contact George Baxter on 07771 818 677, or Jessica
Pepper (LINK Parliamentary Officer on 0131 225 4345)
Notes to editors
(1) The report, carried out by Edinburgh based political
consultants Strategy In Scotland, assessed progress by the Parliament
and Executive
against various demands for action by LINK groups at the outset of
the new parliament, and in the run up to the World Summit in Johannesburg
in August 2002. A variety of leading figures from the main political
parties and environment NGOs were interviewed including the Environment
Minister Ross Finnie MSP and Deputy Minister Allan Wilson MSP. Download
a copy.
(2) The report will be launched at
a reception in Augustine Church, George IV Bridge Edinburgh, Wednesday
26th March, 6pm.
(3) The everyone campaign
is an initiative from Scottish Environment LINK. Some 26 organisations
with nearly half a million supporters, combining
forces to push the environment up the political agenda in the run up
to the Scottish Parliamentary elections on May 1st. Already, an opinion
poll by System 3 published by the campaign on 26th February shows that
the environment is likely to be a decisive issue for the majority of
voters during this May's Scottish elections.
The campaign features demands
for a better environment with specific measures for clean air, healthy
seas, safe food, less landfill, protection
for wildlife and wild places, reduction in climate changing gases.
It also features a campaigning website for supporters to target candidate
MSPs directly. Further information and background briefings are on
this site.
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