What Scotland
must do to help save planet in peril
Apr 5, 2006 - Scotsman, The
Author(s): Ian Johnston Science Correspondent
SCOTS' current way of life is "deeply, deeply unsustainable" and has
to change dramatically as part of global efforts to reduce greenhouse
gases, according to the head of the Scottish Environment Protection
Agency (SEPA).
In an interview with The Scotsman, Dr Campbell Gemmell, the chief
executive of SEPA, called for a revolution in building standards and
micro-renewable sources of energy, such as mini-windmills for houses and
the development of "clean-burn" waste incinerators to provide power and
heat for local communities.
Dr Gemmell said Scotland was making "a complete mess" of dealing with
waste of all kinds and said current building regulations on insulation
and energy conservation were equivalent to those used in Sweden in 1923.
He added that evidence for climate change is "overwhelming" and those
who deny that it is a problem are like Creationists arguing against
Darwin's theory of evolution.
"What we are doing is deeply, deeply unsustainable and it has to
change," he said. "For us, that means, as soon as we possibly can,
getting our resource use down to a fifth of the current level.
"We have got very dramatic changes to accomplish and we're not doing
that well, but there are clear signs of things we could do to make
things better. There's absolutely no room for any kind of complacency on
this. We have got to do things and do things urgently in Scotland."
Dr Gemmell dismissed those people who deny that global warming is a
real problem or claim that it is part of a natural planetary cycle, with
man-made factors such as the increase in carbon dioxide playing only a
small part. "It's a bit like the Creationist view at the moment trying
to challenge Darwin," he said.
"My personal view is there is overwhelming evidence that climate
change is a reality. And if we are where we are and it is natural, you
don't want to sit around thinking 'We don't want to do anything because
it won't make any difference'.
"If it was natural rather than man-made, the desperate need for
action would still be there. In a sense, it's an interesting scientific
seminar to worry about why it is happening, but we have got real
problems now.
"This is about science to some extent but, I suppose, unpopularly, it
is also a morality thing.
"We are putting this planet under huge strain ... the planet our
children and grandchildren will live in will be dramatically different
and I don't mean better."
The dramatic loss of ice from the Arctic and eastern Antarctic,
melting glaciers in the Himalayas, Scandinavia and North America,
changes to the Gulf Stream and the increasing frequency and intensity of
hurricanes were all signs that climate change was happening, Dr Gemmell
said. Closer to home, parts of Essex are disappearing at the rate of
more than 30ft a year because of rising sea levels.
"If these issues seem to you to be tragic but distant, you are
probably making at least one of two of the mistakes common to those of
us who enjoy a western lifestyle," Dr Gemmell said.
"The first is thinking that things that happen in other parts of the
world don't affect us directly.
"The second mistake is our post-industrial belief that technology has
allowed us to 'conquer' nature, that we as a species are detached from
it.
"Nothing could be further from the truth. We all have to do
something."
And in Scotland people were using about five times the amount of
resources they should be, if everyone on the planet was to live
sustainably.
"I think we are perhaps not doing all of the things yet that we need
to do," Dr Gemmell said.
"That doesn't mean the government isn't trying, [but] there's
absolutely no room for any kind of complacency on this.
"We have got to do things and do things urgently in Scotland and we
need to be doing them pretty quickly.
"Our houses desperately need to be better insulated, we need the
means of using lower-carbon fuels, we need to travel by air less and use
more sustainable forms of transport. "We're still making a complete mess
of handling not just domestic waste, but commercial and industrial
waste."
Dr Richard Dixon, of WWF Scotland, said he broadly agreed with Dr
Gemmell, but added that SEPA was "toothless" in many areas relevant to
climate change, such as transport and building regulations.
"I'm always pleased to see a government agency saying such strong
things about climate change," Dr Dixon said. "SEPA regulates industry
and that is important, but they do genuinely find it frustrating that
they cannot do more because they do care."
He said the burning of waste was the main difference of opinion
between them as Dr Dixon said this might detract from efforts to recycle
it.
Duncan McLaren, the chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland,
pointed out that an estimated 328,000 householders in Scotland were
classed as being in fuel poverty because they could not afford to
adequately heat their homes.
Greater energy efficiency would therefore not only help the planet,
but also the poorest section of society.
"There is really something wrong with the way we are building our
homes, the energy just goes out the walls and through the roof spaces,"
he said.
A Scottish Executive spokeswoman said "good progress" was being made
on recycling municipal waste, with some 25 per cent either composted or
recycled. The amount of commercial waste going into landfill sites had
also fallen from nearly 14 million tonnes in 1997 to eight million in
2003.
And the spokeswoman added: "At the last check, Scotland was fourth in
Europe in terms of energy efficiency standards in buildings. We are also
committed to developing an energy efficiency strategy for Scotland by
2008.
"And by 2008 we will have funded micro-renewables to the tune of more
than GBP 12 million and are fully committed to their development."
Building standards were also being reviewed.
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