Rural and Environment

In the news: protecting Scotland’s nature

January 3, 2019 by johnfitzgerald No Comments | Category Climate Change, Environment, Wildlife

Conservation groups have called for stronger climate action to protect Scotland’s unique habitats and species, in a story you may have seen in the news today.

The joint report by WWF Scotland and Scottish Environment LINK focuses on the impact our changing climate is having on species in five specific habitats across the country.

 A Scottish Government spokesperson said:

 “We are committed to protecting our unique and diverse habitats and species. The latest Biodiversity 2020 Aichi targets report shows Scotland is leading the way with its work to protect and increase biodiversity.

“We are on track to meet our 2020 targets and our partnership working is delivering real benefits with improvements to our marine environment, peatlands, rivers and woodlands over the last few years.”

The report calls for the Climate Change bill to be strengthened, although the target, to be carbon-neutral by 2050, has been independently assessed as being at the limits of feasibility.

The spokesperson added:

“The Climate Change Bill sets out the most ambitious targets for 2020, 2030 and 2040 of any country in the world, and will mean that Scotland is carbon-neutral by 2050. The targets have been described by our independent, expert advisors as “the very limits of feasibility.

“We are committed to achieving net-zero emissions of all greenhouse gases as soon as possible, and the Bill means that Ministers will be legally bound to regularly review when a date for that can be set in law.”

Tags: 2020 aichi targets, Biodiversity, climate change bill, LINK, WWF Scotland

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