Rural and Environment

New tool to support net-zero progress

December 1, 2020 by johnfitzgerald No Comments | Category Uncategorized

Plans to establish a national account for nitrogen to help tackle climate change, reduce air pollution and support more efficient ways of food production have been launched.

Thought to be the first initiative of its kind to be set in law, the Scottish Nitrogen Balance Sheet (SNBS) will track nitrogen use right across the country. The data will be used to help assess how nitrogen can be used more efficiently, reducing the release of harmful greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said:

“Improving our understanding of the opportunities to use nitrogen ever more efficiently will have benefits for climate change, air quality, agriculture, transport and waste management.

“A national Nitrogen Balance Sheet will offer a powerful tool to improve the evidence base of nitrogen use, better informing decision-making across a range of policy areas.

“The proposed Balance Sheet is comprehensive in scope, extending across all major sectors of the economy and environment, and is intended to be updated and reviewed annually.

“I would encourage all interested individuals and organisations to engage in our plans for the Scottish Nitrogen Balance Sheet. We will continue to undertake further engagement with stakeholders before seeking Parliament’s agreement to establish the Balance Sheet in advance of the March 2022 statutory deadline.”

Background

The consultation “Establishing a Scottish Nitrogen Balance Sheet” is open until 14 January 2021

A national Nitrogen Balance Sheet is a requirement of the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019

Tags: climate change act, greenhouse gases, nitrogen

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