Rural and Environment

Taking action against climate change

September 14, 2018 by taylorscott No Comments | Category Climate Change, Environment

As part of our ongoing efforts to both highlight climate change as a Scottish Government priority and encourage individuals to take more preventative action, Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse has travelled to San Francisco to take part in the Global Climate Action Summit 2018.

The visit has been an excellent opportunity to stimulate conversation surrounding the devastating impact of climate change and – importantly – our responsibility to take action. As one of our Programme for  Growth priorities, the Summit provided the perfect platform for us to highlight, on a global stage, the continuous progress Scotland is making to fight climate change.

This is an area Scotland is already punching well above its weight on. Our proposals for a new Climate Change Bill include an emissions reduction target of at least 90% by 2050, strengthening Scotland’s place as a leading low-carbon economy.

Mr Wheelhouse announced Jim Skea, former Research Councils UK Energy Strategy Fellow as our Just Transition chair.

The Just Transition Commission will provide advice to the Scottish Government on its decarbonisation plans, and how to deliver fair work and tackle inequalities through a sustainable and inclusive labour market.

The Commission has been tasked with helping to plan for and invest in a transition to environmentally and socially sustainable jobs, while also ensuring we actively consider employment issues when developing climate policies.

Mr Wheelhouse also represented Scotland in a bilateral meeting with Germany’s State Secretary for Environment, Nature Conservation & Nuclear Safety Jochen Flasbarth. Energy transition and both countries’ efforts to tackle climate change were discussed.

Presenting at Stanford University, one of the world’s leading research and teaching institutions, Mr Wheelhouse spoke about Scotland’s impressive approach to climate change.

Read the Programme for Government 2018/19 here.

Tags: climate, climatechange, energy, paulwheelhouse, sanfrancisco, scottishgovernment, snp

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