CAMPAIGNERS CALL FOR FULLY RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM BY 2030
Climate campaigners are calling on the Scottish Government to bite the bullet and commit to a fully renewable energy system by 2030 as the public consultation on its Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan closes tomorrow (Tuesday 9th May).
Campaigners highlighted conflicting visions within the document and the over-reliance on carbon capture and hydrogen to meet the Government’s 2030 vision, despite previously admitting this would not be possible.
Campaigners said that with critical 2030 climate targets looming, it is essential that the final version of the energy plan sets out a comprehensive strategy for a managed and just phase out of oil and gas, moving to a fully renewable energy system that is run for the benefit of people and the planet.
Whilst campaigning to be First Minister Humza Yousaf pledged to take a 10% equity share in future offshore wind leasing round and set up a publicly owned energy generation company. Neither of these options to create an energy system that delivers greater benefits to the public are considered in this document.
Given the abject failure of market forces to respond to the climate crisis, Friends of the Earth Scotland believes that public ownership is key to driving the transformation of the energy system.
The draft version of the ESJTP was also criticised for compiling existing policies and strategies, failing to fill in the gaps or address lack of coherence between these.
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s head of campaigns Mary Church said: “The final destination of this Strategy is bold but there is no coherent plan for how we will get there.
“If Scotland is to stop missing climate targets, it needs to get off fossil fuels and deliver the wide-ranging transformation needed in public transport, home insulation and renewable generation that can help slash climate pollution and tackle the cost of living crisis.
“There is no time to lose. The Scottish Government must bite the bullet and set a clear direction of travel and how we are going to get there. As part of that we need a clear end date for oil and gas within this decade and a detailed plan on how affected workers and communities will be supported through the transition.
“Ministers must stop clinging to the dangerous illusion that carbon capture can deliver the urgent step change needed in Scotland’s climate efforts, and focus on delivering a fully renewable energy system by 2030.
“Profit driven energy bosses have long failed to deliver an energy system that works for households or creates enough decent green jobs in Scotland.
“Humza Yousaf must build on his promise to take stakes in future offshore wind projects and make sure that a public energy company is set up swiftly to share the benefits of our energy resources more fairly and drive the just transition.”
The final version of the Strategy should:
• Set a clear date and plan for the end of oil and gas use within this decade • Reject new fossil fuel infrastructure and over-reliance on Carbon Capture • Clarify that the 2030 decarbonisation target will be met fully through renewables • Detailed green jobs creation plan and clear pathways for oil workers to switch sector • Centre public ownership with public good objectives to drive the just transition • Reduce overall energy demand through public transport and home insulation • Ensure fair consumption of minerals critical to the energy transition
Police Scotland have released an image of a man they believe may have information in connection with an assault which occurred on Friday 17 March 2023 at around 12.15pm at Portobello Promenade.
The man is described as aged 30 to 37, of a medium build and with brown hair. He is between 5ft 11ins to 6ft 2ins and was wearing a grey Nike hoodie, dark coloured jogging bottoms and white Adidas trainers.
Constable Erin Millar of Police Scotland said: “The man pictured or anyone who recognises the man pictured please contact officers via 101, quoting incident number 1687 of Friday 17 March 2023.
“Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.”
Local care home Strachan House has had a week full of royal themed activities but the fun didn’t stop there. They hosted The Big Coronation Picnic event yesterday (Sunday 7th May) for their residents, family friends and their entire local community.
In attendance was local MP Christine Jardine who kindly accepted her invitation to unveil a rose bush in memory of the late Queen Elizabeth ll after her son King Charles lll take the royal crown on Saturday 6th May.
Christine Jardine spent the afternoon chatting with everyone who attended the event. Enjoying everything Strachan House had to offer Christine explained “It has been a lovely afternoon I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Chatting with the residents and staff has been lovely. Such a wonderful home and the amount of support was outstanding.”
Mandy, Head of Activities, said: “Our residents have had a fantastic week on the run up but this event demonstrated that community spirit is very much alive and judging by all who attended it was prevalent that Strachan House is a very special place in our community.
“It has been a whole home approach to ensure our residents had a fantastic coronation. Having our local MP Christine Jardine accept our invitation was a testament to how valued we are within our community.”
Paul Dow, Head Chef at Strachan House, said: “It was an amazing day and an honour to cater for our local community and an absolute pleasure to showcase what we have to offer here at Strachan House.
“It’s certainly an event I won’t forget in a hurry!”
Gordon Philp, General Manager at Strachan House said: “We have been overwhelmed with the support and community spirit throughout our celebrations of the Kings Coronation, it has been such a special occasion for everyone not to mention our residents.
Our staff have gone over and above to ensure Strachan House and everyone who lives and works here have had a spectacular day. To have so much continued local community support truly humbling.”
Bernard Saltmarsh, resident at Strachan House added: “it was an honour to meet Christine and have my picture taken with her.
“We even had the sun come out for the afternoon which was a big relief to what the morning was like!”
Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.
Strachan House is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides nursing care, residential care, respite care.
The New Real, a world-leading and Edinburgh-based AI research hub. has premiered its leading international AI Art award and commission that brings together the foremost institutions in both the AI and the arts, and announced UK and Netherlands-based Polish artist Kasia Molga as the winner ofThe New Real 2023 AI Art Commission: Uncanny Machines.
This award and commission gives artists an unrivalled opportunity to extend their practice by providing them a powerful and accessible generative AI tool, The New Real’s own AI Platform.
This is a fascinating and unique ‘tool box’ created with and for artists, to gain increased access and control over an AI model and to creatively explore AI.
This addresses limitations in the current crop of generative AI applications, in order to open new thinking which can lead to better art, and also provides a basis to probe and question urgent issues of today. Introduced as part of The New Real’s AI Art Programme: Uncanny Machines which explores the uncanny interplay of humans and machines, and the social implications of recent developments in AI.
The event culminates the EFI’s Love Machine season of events bringing into light the intimate relationships between humans and algorithms.
At this event the artist was joined by guest speakers; activist and self proclaimed cultural engineer Phoenix Perry, who shared insights into generative AI creative work, and leading academic in the fields of AI, Data Arts and Society, and Drew Hemment, who hosted a debate with Kasia Molga on the societal and ethical issues of digital reincarnations of deceased persons, a topic the art commission will explore.
The Open Call received a huge volume of outstanding submissions which the Jury whittled down to just five astonishing candidates who each received Development Awards. Kasia Molga is now revealed as the artist awarded the full commission allowing her to bring her concept to life.
The commission is designed to provide transformative experiences for audiences, fuelled by AI, and present an artwork that addresses key challenges in AI, such as consent, agency and confusion of humans and machines
In her project entitled How to find the Soul of a Sailor, Kasia Molga presents a very personal journey to find the soul of her father in data from a life spent on the seas. As a child, Molga travelled with her sailor father on merchant navy vessels. Her father often was the lone parent caring for her on board the ship.
They were two people who understood each other without words – sometimes Molga felt she could read her dad’s thoughts. He passed away quite unexpectedly 15 years ago leaving a huge hole in Molga’s heart and many diaries from his journeys.
Sometimes when Molga fears that her memories of being on the open sea with him are fading, she rereads his diaries trying to hang on to his voice.
In her commission, Molga will draw on her experiments using The New Real’s AI platform to recreate stories in his voice.
Having constructed a dataset from ships’ logs, her dad’s own diaries, and a British Library collection of maps from the Mediterranean Sea, Molga uses a Word2vec feature to explore, among others, whether AI can convincingly recreate a way of writing such that aspects of her dad’s personality can be ‘sensed’ and what are the implications and emotional effects of such a way of ‘resurrecting’ a person who is no longer with us. More on Kasia Molga’s project can be found here.
Announced earlier this year, The New Real 2023 Development Awards allowed five artists; Kasia Molga, Johann Diedrick & Amina Abbas-Nazari, Alice Bucknell, Sarah Ciston and Linnea Langfjord Kristensen & Kevin Walker, to conduct research and development (R&D) using The New Real’s AI Platform: a fascinating and unique ‘tool box’ created with and for artists, allowing them to manipulate a model, in order to enable profound artistic experiments with AI.
The output of the R&D phase is a visual presentation and talk. These five talks were screened at Inspace alongside this event.
The Uncanny Machines Art Commission will be presented later this year. Details to follow.
Drew Hemment, Director and Principal Investigator of The New Real, said: “We have achieved something truly unique in bringing together new ideas in both science and the arts to tackle urgent challenges just at the moment that Generative AI has exploded into the world’s consciousness.
“It is with huge pleasure we announce today that Kasia Molga has been awarded our coveted New Real 2023 Art Commission. Kasia blew us away with her vision and the intensely personal journey she wants to take with The New Real. She hopes to use AI to give new life to her father’s memories, and to bring a fresh perspective on the world’s oceans that he travelled his entire life.
“This is the next step in our journey to develop more fair and inclusive technologies, and to support artists to develop significant works.”
Winning artist, Artist Kasia Molga, said: “It is a huge pleasure and delight to work with The New Real, they are the leading group spanning the arts and AI in this way.
“This project is of the greatest personal importance to me. My dad’s diaries are extremely precious, and this is my way of showing my love for my father, and my shared concern for the ocean, his life’s passion.
“I’m excited to go to places I could not have imagined before using AI, and I can think of no one better to share this journey than The New Real.
“On one hand, this new body of work is about the transition of marine ecosystems. Yet it also probes the emotional implications of giving away data – almost fragments of personality – of departed loved ones and the ethics of AI in the context of digital afterlives.
“The work will use AI wisely to reveal unexpected interconnections between the words of those no longer with us and such large subjects as oceans and climate change.”
Sarah Boyack MSP has highlighted the grim findings that more than 3 in 4 Dental Practices serving patients in Musselburgh are no longer accepting NHS Patients.
Following up on concerns of Musselburgh residents, Lothian MSP Sarah Boyack contacted practices serving the Musselburgh area to inquire whether they were accepting new NHS patients.
The findings also highlighted those that were accepting new patients had waiting lists of over six months on average.
Commenting Scottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said: “Patients in Musselburgh are being routinely let-down by the lack of NHS Dental provision.
“With more than three quarters of NHS Dentists unable to accept new patients, the people of Musselburgh have been left with a two-tiered system that routinely fails them.
“We are now seeing the devastating effects of the SNP mismanagement of our NHS, with patients spending months suffering unnecessarily whilst they are unable to see an NHS Dentists.
“This cannot carry on, The SNP must act now before more communities like Musselburgh are left without access to NHS services.”
Data collected by the office of Sarah Boyack MSP for the 20 closest practices to Musselburgh on 5/5/23:
Check out this freshly painted mural outside Fresh Start in West Pilton
National Galleries of Scotland have been working with residents and artists Fraser Gray and Eva Paredes to create this stunning artwork, inspired by the work the charity does to support the local community.
The mural is part of NGS’ work to build stronger relationships with people and organisations in North Edinburgh, where The Art Works will be based.
The mural also features some artworks inspired by the national collection – see if you can spot them!
Community heroes, Ukrainian families and youth groups gathered in Downing Street yesterday for a special Coronation lunch
Lunch was held in Downing Street with food from across the UK
Community heroes, Ukrainians forced to flee their homes and youth groups attended
Over 50,000 Coronation Big Lunches were held in the UK and across the globe
Community heroes, Ukrainian families and youth groups gathered in Downing Street yesterday for a special Coronation lunch hosted by the Prime Minister and Mrs Murty.
The event is taking place as part of The Big Lunch, a nationwide initiative to bring neighbours and communities together to celebrate the Coronation.
Over 50,000 Big Lunch street parties took place in the UK and in countries across the globe.
Downing Street was adorned with bunting featuring the official Coronation emblem and the Union Flag. Crockery will be donated by Emma Bridgewater – the award-winning ceramics company based in Stroke-on-Trent – including a limited edition King Charles III teapot.
Recipients of the Points of Light Award – volunteers that have made an outstanding contribution to their community – attended the event.
They include Zoe and Andy Clark-Coates who set up Saying Goodbye a charity that supports thousands of people who have lost a child during pregnancy, at birth or infancy – and Navjot Sawhney whose hand-cranked washing machine is benefitting over 1,000 families without access to an electric machine in underdeveloped countries or refugee camps.
Also joining was Laura Ashurst from Stokesley in North Yorkshire. A three-time breast cancer survivor, Laura has campaigned for fifteen years to improve the lives of the 35,000 women across the UK with secondary breast cancer.
Attendees enjoyed food sourced from across the UK, including Loch Duart salmon from Sutherland in North West Scotland and soda farl from Northern Ireland.
Beef came from Gloucestershire in South West England and ice cream has been sourced from Chilly Cow, a company based in Ruthin, Wales.
Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war on Ukraine and their UK-based sponsors also joined the event. They included Olga Breslavska who travelled to the UK as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme and is currently studying an intensive English course. Caroline Quill – a Homes for Ukraine sponsor – has been instrumental in matching 250 families across East Sussex and Kent and will also join the lunch.
Young people from organisations such as UK Youth and the National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs also marked the occasion.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said: “Come rain or shine, thousands of friends and neighbours are coming together this weekend to put up the bunting, pour the tea and cut the cake at street parties and community events across the UK.
“I am proud to welcome Ukrainians forced to flee their homes and some incredible community heroes to Downing Street for our very own Coronation lunch to celebrate this historic moment.
“In England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland – and across our Overseas Territories and the wider Commonwealth – people are marking this momentous occasion in the spirit of unity and hope for the future”.
Parking attendants ride city buses to target inconsiderate drivers
A trial to crack down on drivers parking in bus lanes will see parking attendants riding Lothian Buses services to target city hotspots.
From tomorrow (Tuesday 9 May) parking attendants will begin travelling on specially selected routes, which experience issues with vehicles blocking bus lanes.
Attendants will be able to disembark buses to move on or issue parking tickets to any drivers breaking the rules and board the next bus on the same route.
The initiative, being carried out in partnership with Lothian Buses, aims to improve bus reliability and journey times by reducing disruption to services caused by incorrectly parked vehicles. In turn this will support and encourage sustainable, low carbon travel by public transport.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “We already have an excellent bus service in Edinburgh, relied on by many, and our bus lanes are really important to making sure services can run smoothly and on time, especially during peak hours.
“This trial, in partnership with Lothian Buses, will let parking attendants target hotspots in real time, where drivers continue to park inconsiderately. We’ll continue monitoring its effectiveness to make sure we’re focusing on the right areas.
“Encouraging and supporting travel by sustainable, reliable public transport is crucial to our net zero 2030 aspirations, as well as helping to reduce congestion, improve air quality and provide accessible transport for everyone.”
Willie Hamilton, Operations Director, Lothian Buses, said: “Lothian is committed to providing a safe, reliable and trusted service across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
“As we look to encourage the use of public transport in support of the Scottish Government and The City of Edinburgh Council’s wider environmental goals, it is important that we work with partners across the city on effective ways to ensure bus priority measures are followed which will enhance our ability to provide a consistently reliable standard of service for our customers.”
Sometimes it seems the easy option is to throw something down the toilet rather than properly disposing of it, but the reality is you could be doing hundreds of pounds worth of damage to your plumbing without even realising it.
plumber unclogging blocked toilet with hydro jetting at home bathroom. sewer cleaning service
Sean Richardson, plumbing expert at Complete Plumbing Solutions has compiled his top 10 list of the things you shouldn’t be flushing away and reveals just how much these items could cost you in the long run –
1 – Baby Wipes
Be wary of the “flushable” label, it could end up costing you hundreds of pounds –
“One of the biggest offenders we see most regularly are baby wipes. Although many baby wipes are labeled as “flushable,” they do not break down like toilet paper and can clog your pipes, leaving you with an overflowing system.”
2 – Cotton Buds/Balls/Pads/Tampons/Condoms
Absorbent materials can wreak havoc on your plumbing –
“Tampons, pads, and other feminine hygiene products should never be flushed down the toilet. They can cause blockages as they twist and clump together to form a soft of solid mass, thus totally blocking your pipes. Alot of these products are designed to expand when they come into contact with moisture and to not break down in water. When these products are flushed down the toilet, they can get caught in the pipes and accumulate other debris, leading to blockages. Condoms are not biodegradable and can easily clog pipes. They should be disposed of in the rubbish instead.”
3 – Dental floss:
May seem like a harmless one to flush, but flushing floss significantly heightens the risk of blockages –
“Dental floss does not break down in water, which means once it goes down your toilet it stays there. Basically when you flush some floss down the toilet it can wrap itself around any debris that may be lurking in your pipes, like hair, wipes and toilet paper, which can create a solid mass leading to obstructions.”
4 – Hair
Hair should be kept out of your drains and out of your toilets –
“We’ve all seen how hair can clog up your shower and sink drains, your toilet is no different. When hair enters the drain it works similarly to how dental floss would, wrapping around other bits of debris and creating massive blockages. When hair is flushed down the toilet, it can get caught in the trapway, which is the curved part of the toilet that connects to the drainpipe. As more hair accumulates, it can create a mass that blocks the trapway, making it difficult for water and waste to pass through. Hair does not break down easily in water, so it can accumulate in the sewer system and cause backups and overflows”
5 – Paper Towels
Paper towels or tissues: These products do not break down like toilet paper and can cause blockages in pipes or damage sewage systems.
“Paper towels are not designed to dissolve easily in water, unlike toilet paper which is specifically made to break down quickly in water. This means that if you flush paper towels down the toilet, they are likely to get stuck in the pipes, causing clogs and potentially damaging the plumbing system.
Additionally, paper towels are often thicker and more absorbent than toilet paper, which means they can also absorb more water and expand in size, making it even more difficult for them to pass through the pipes and causing more severe blockages.”
6 – Cooking grease or oil:
It’s common knowledge that you shouldn’t pour grease and oil down your kitchen sink, but there have been horror stories from individuals deciding to pour the oil down their toilets.
“When cooking grease and oil are poured down your toilet drains they can mix with other materials such as soap, hair and other pieces of debris to form solid blockages that can be extremely difficult and expensive to remove.
Aside from that, when grease and oil enter the drain they can also contribute to the buildup of fats, oils, and grease, already present in the overall sewerage system, which can lead to those fatbergs people may have seen”
7 – Cigarette butts:
The non-biodegradable make-up of cigarettes makes them a nightmare for your pipes –
“Cigarette butts are another one to avoid as they are made of non-biodegradable materials such as plastic fibers and something called cellulose acetate, these do not break down easily in water. The butts also contain toxic chemicals and carcinogens that can contaminate waterways and harm aquatic life. Even if cigarette butts are flushed down the toilet and make it through the plumbing system without causing a blockage, they can still end up in waterways and contribute to pollution.”
8 – Cat Litter:
A highly absorbent material, it should be kept away from drains at all costs –
“Cat litter by nature is designed to absorb moisture and clump together, which means that it can easily form blockages in the pipes and cause backups and overflows. More often than not it can also feature elements that are not biodegradable, such as clay or silica gel, which do not dissolve in water and can further contribute to clogs.”
9 – Medications
A serious environmental issue –
“When medications like tablets and liquids are flushed down the toilet, they can enter the sewage system and ultimately end up in rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water. Many medications are not effectively removed by wastewater treatment plants, which can lead to a fairly serious pollution of the water table.”
10 – Plasters/Bandages
Packed with adhesives that harm the environment and potentially your pocket –
“Plasters definitely should not be flushed as they are another product that are not designed to dissolve in water and can become tangled with other materials in the plumbing, which will wind up clogging the toilet. Plasters may also contain adhesives or other substances that can contribute to the buildup of fats, oils, and grease in the sewerage system.”
Blockages – How Much Do They Cost to Fix?
The actual cost of clearing a toilet blockage varies depending on a number of factors – severity of the blockage, the location and the actual plumber you choose to enlist.
“Usually minor blockages can be cleared with a plunger or drain snake, this can cost anywhere between £50 to £200. This price increases the worse the blockage get, in certain situations you could be looking at a bill of over a thousand pounds. Our advice, if you toilet is anyways blocked, address the issue as soon as possible and don’t allow it to fester”
The most expensive things you can flush down the toilet ; Ranked
Baby Wipes – “If its only a small blockage it can usually be cleared with a drain snake and a plunger, this can set you back anywhere from £50-£200 to fix. However if you leave the problem linger and allow the wipes to build up in your plumbing, you’ll need more specialised equipment and possibly even extensive repairs to your plumbing – this can set you back thousands of pounds.”
Feminine Hygiene Products –“Again, it depends on the severity of the blockage but if these are flushed down the toilet on a regular basis you could be looking at spending around £100-£500 to fix the issue.”
Paper Towels : “These can really clog up your plumbing, it’s ballpark £100-£500 depending on the severity”
Cooking grease and oil: “In a lot of cases you’ll need to use pretty specialised equipment to clear these blockages, so you’re looking at a bill for around £200-£1000 depending on how bad the problem is”
Cat litter:“Another big offender, due to its absorbency cat litter can cause major issue. Similarly to grease and oil, you’ll need pretty heavy duty equipment to get the job done, you’re looking at £200-£1000 again depending on the severity of the blockage”
Every step taken this National Walking Month can transform a life with Mary’s Meals
This May, Edinburgh residents are being encouraged to ‘step up’ and help Mary’s Meals feed more hungry children around the world.
During National Walking Month, the school feeding charity is calling on people to take part in its Move For Meals challenge, which encourages participants to raise sponsorship whilst keeping active.
Mary’s Meals serves a daily school meal to children living in some of the world’s poorest countries. The promise of a nutritious meal encourages children into the classroom, giving them energy to learn and hope for a brighter future.
The charity reaches 2,429,182 children every school day in 18 countries, including South Sudan, Syria and Ethiopia.
Morven Macgillivray, supporter engagement manager at Mary’s Meals, says: “With the weather getting warmer and the days growing longer, everyone is keen to get outdoors and get some exercise!
“This National Walking Month, you can help to transform the lives of some of the world’s poorest children by simply getting active, making the most of the sunshine and signing up to Move for Meals.”
Throughout May, Mary’s Meals is asking people to walk 10,000 steps a day as part of the Move for Meals challenge.
Morven continues: “It costs just 10 pence to feed a child with Mary’s Meals. So even raising as little as £1 for every 10,000 steps you complete will provide 10 children with a nutritious meal and an education that can be their ladder out of poverty.
“Walking 10,000 steps a day is just a small change you can make that can have a big impact on a child’s life.
“I hope that as many people as possible in Edinburgh will pull on their walking shoes and step up to the challenge this May to help us keep our promise to the 2.4 million children we feed every day with Mary’s Meals.”
It costs just £19.15 to feed a child with Mary’s Meals for an entire school year.
Signing up for Move For Meals couldn’t be easier.
Find out more and get your free Mary’s Meals T-shirt at:
