Scottish greenhouse gas data now available for 2010

Photo borrowed from
Scottish Government site.

The Scottish Government has published figures for Scottish greenhouse gas emissions for 2010.  As you can see from the report the figures show that emissions increased in 2010 compared to 2009. This is not surprising considering the very cold winter weather, both at the beginning and the end of 2010.  However the increase in emissions have been criticised by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland who have called on the Scottish Government to do more. 

You can read the Scottish Government’s press release here and Environment and Climate Change Minister Stewart Stevenson’s response to the report here. The Stop Climate Chaos response to the report can be accessed here.

The Scottish Government can point to a real – and controversial – increase in the number of wind farms across Scotland and to a slow improvement in the energy efficiency  in the Scottish housing stock. On the other hand Scotland remains very dependent on electricity produced  by burning coal at Longannet Power Station in Fife and prospects for implementing ‘carbon capture and storage’ (CCS) technology remain in the far distance.  It’s a similar story in transport with an increase in cycling but the great majority of road traffic continues to be by carbon emitting motor vehicles.

How much the Scottish Government can deliver on its targets without the active support and participation of communities and individuals is perhaps one of the biggest questions to ponder and one in which Eco-Congregations can play a big role.  We have good legislation in place but action in communities across Scotland will be needed if we are to stand any chance in meeting the targets in the future.  Eco-Congregations, working in their churches, homes and communities have real and growing role to play in meeting this challenge.

What do you think? Please add your comments to our blog!

By Adrian Shaw