Councillors on the city council’s Transport and Environment Committee will hear next week that air quality in Edinburgh is improving. However the latest figures produced by Friends of the Earth Scotland show that there are now more pollution zones across Scotland than there were twelve months ago – and that much more needs to be done to address a problem they say is becoming a ‘public health crisis’. Continue reading Putting the brakes on air pollution
Change to Special Uplift charges on the cards
An action plan aimed at improving Edinburgh’s waste and cleansing service has made good progress in its first months, according to the city council. Since its implementation, the 65-point plan has seen an overall reduction in missed collections, as well as an increase in the percentage of street cleansing enquiries addressed within timescale. Continue reading ‘Encouraging’ improvement in waste and cleansing service, says council
Detailed designs are set to be drawn up for a controversial £5.5 million project to create a’family-friendly’ west to east cycle route through the city centre following a public meeting of the city council’s Future Transport Working Group last week. The decision to press ahead has infuriated many residents and local traders, almost three thousand of whom objected to the ‘cycle superhighway’ proposals. Continue reading Green light for bike superhighway
A plan to improve Edinburgh’s resilience to climate change has been launched. Edinburgh Adapts 2016-2020 is the city’s first climate change action plan, and aims to help the city prepare for and adapt to the effects of a changing climate.
The plan has been developed by the Edinburgh Sustainable Development Partnership in collaboration with Adaptation Scotland and more than 40 key stakeholders from across the city. It was unveiled on Thursday by Councillor Lesley Hinds, Chair of the Edinburgh Sustainable Development Partnership, and Ruth Monfries, Chair of the Edinburgh Adapts Steering Group, along with Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Cabinet Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform.
Councillor Lesley Hinds, Chair of the Edinburgh Sustainable Development Partnership, said: “While we’re making every effort to address the causes of climate change, we can’t avoid the fact that its impacts are already affecting us.
“By working with partners to produce Edinburgh Adapts, we are able to better understand the effects a changing climate will have, enabling us to become both a resilient city and a greener, safer and healthier place to live.”
Climate Change Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham, said: “Tackling the effects of climate change is crucial as the challenges of increasingly unpredictable weather and extreme conditions are only likely to increase if we don’t take action now.
“That’s why I’m delighted to welcome Edinburgh’s first Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan which is ambitious but achievable with the medium to long-term vision of Edinburgh Adapts telling the story of Edinburgh’s adaptation journey to 2050. It provides us with an illustration of what we could do to make us more resilient to the impacts of climate change when public and private stakeholders, the third sector and community groups work together.
“Scotland has set an example to the world by exceeding its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets six years early, but we cannot be complacent and must work with a wide range of partners to build on the strong progress we have made and be ready to deal with the impacts of climate change we know are coming.”
Ruth Monfries, Chair of the Edinburgh Adapts Steering Group, added: “Raising awareness of the impacts of climate change and sharing knowledge can help us better manage the risks and realise the opportunities in being well prepared – to help us ensure that a climate ready Edinburgh remains a great place to live, work and visit.
“Organisations across the city are working together to help Edinburgh meet the challenges of a changing climate. The first Edinburgh Adapts action plan sets out the initial steps towards achieving our vision. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and partners on the steering group are collaborating on actions to make this happen.”
Edinburgh Adapts builds on the Resilient Edinburgh Climate Change Adaptation Framework, which was approved by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Transport and Environment Committee in 2014, and provides a platform for bringing together adaptation activity from across the city.
In line with the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, actions aim to respond to climate changes which, if current trends continue as projected, will result in warmer, drier summers and milder, wetter winters.
As well as ensuring overall governance of adaptation in the city, the plan aims to protect and enhance Edinburgh’s wildlife and green spaces, providing nature-based solutions to climate-related problems. Planning and development play a key role in ensuring the city adapts, including the use of green infrastructure to offset predicted changes in weather and rainfall and naturalising flood prevention measures when feasible. Actions involving working with communities and raising awareness of the impacts of climate change on local areas are also integral to the plan.
Its progress will be overseen by a steering group including representatives from the Council, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Edinburgh Living Landscapes, The University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh College, Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh World Heritage and Adaptation Scotland.
In conjunction with Edinburgh Adapts, Our Vision for a Climate Ready Edinburgh has been developed by partners which, aims to tell the story of Edinburgh’s adaptation journey, first in 2025 and then in 2050.
Find out more about Edinburgh Adapts online.
The city council’s rollout of 20mph speed limits for residential and shopping streets continues, with new signs and lines starting to be installed for Phase 2 from December. Continue reading 20mph roll-out continues: next time it’s North
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced a national campaign to find out what heritage really means to the people of Scotland as part of the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. ‘What’s Your Heritage?’ is a multi-channel project that asks members of the public to reveal which of Scotland’s places, buildings and monuments they want to see recognised and celebrated. Continue reading What’s Your Heritage?
A drive to tackle rubbish, fly-tipping and dumped trade waste on city streets was kicked off this week. The second phase of the Our Edinburgh initiative, which aims to address anti-social behaviour like littering, has begun in the Leith Walk area, identified as a hotspot for overflowing bin complaints. Continue reading City cleanup initiative targets Leith Walk
In the run up to WWF’s Earth Hour – taking place on Saturday 25th March 2017 – WWF and People’s Postcode Lottery have launched a nationwide search to find those unsung heroes who are making a real difference for our planet. Continue reading The nationwide search for Earth Hour Heroes begins …
The city council’s Transport and Environment Committee has agreed a comprehensive action plan to improve the city’s waste and cleansing services. Councillors rubber-stamped the 65-point plan yesterday. Continue reading Council acts to improve rubbish service
The Scottish Government will not support underground coal gasification (UCG) developments in Scotland following the publication of an independent report that highlights serious environmental concerns. The announcement comes on the same day the Westminster government gave the green light to fracking at Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site at Little Plumpton in Lancashire.
UCG should not be confused with hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, or coal-bed methane both of which are Unconventional Oil and Gas (UOG) technologies. Today’s announcement has no bearing on the policy on either of these technologies, which remain covered by the Scottish Government’s moratorium on UOG technologies.
The Scottish Government put in place a moratorium on UCG in October last year so that evidence on the practice could be gathered and considered.
Professor Campbell Gemmell of University of Glasgow was tasked to undertake an independent examination of UCG. Having received his report, Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy Paul Wheelhouse today [Thursday, October 6] updated Parliament on the Scottish Government’s response to the findings.
The report finds that it would appear logical “to progress toward a ban” of UCG, based on a variety of reasons, including:
• the UCG industry having a history of incidents of pollution and losses of containment and;
• UCG presenting a serious issue to face in reducing Scotland’s carbon/greenhouse gas emissions without an operational storage method, such as carbon capture.
Mr Wheelhouse said: “Having considered the report in detail, it is the Scottish Government’s view that UCG poses numerous and serious environmental risks and, on that basis, the Scottish Government cannot support this technology. Accordingly, UCG will have no place in Scotland’s energy mix at this time.
“In Professor Gemmell’s report he recommends it would be wise to consider an approach to UCG based upon a precautionary presumption against the technology, and that it would appear logical to progress toward a ban.
“I cannot predict what kind of clean energy technologies may be available in the decades to come, but what is certain is that this this resource will still be there. As a result of today’s announcement, our Energy Strategy for Scotland will set out an energy mix for the future that does not include UCG. The position I have announced on UCG is a clear validation of the evidence-based approach this government is taking and I thank Professor Gemmell for his work in preparing the report.”
Mr Wheelhouse has written to the UK Government, requesting that it issues no further UCG licences in Scotland and that existing licences are revoked. The Scottish Government will continue to use planning powers available to it to ensure UCG applications do not receive planning or environmental permission.
Professor Campbell Gemmell, Professor of Environment Research, Policy, Regulation and Governance at the University of Glasgow, said: “I have consulted widely, including with industry, communities, regulators, academic specialists and NGOs, and studied the available evidence on the technologies and impacts involved in Underground Coal Gasification, including the variety of international experience. It is extremely difficult to conceive of UCG progressing into use at this time. Despite there being few longer-term operations at scale to consider, and no directly comparable operations in siting, regulatory and policy terms, there is both a history of incidents of pollution and losses of containment.
“In my view, the Scottish Government has responded appropriately to the available evidence on this technology.
“Should industry wish to progress this technology at scale here or overseas at some future date, several key factors would need to be addressed, including managing the potential impact of the greenhouse gases produced. The onus would also clearly be with the industry to demonstrate and provide evidence that it can operate to the high environmental standards that the government and public should expect.”
North and Leith MSP Ben Macpherson has welcomed the announcement. He said: “Based on the evidence presented, it is absolutely right that the Scottish Government has blocked Underground Coal Gasification from taking place in Scotland.
“There are very few examples of UCG operating commercially, and where the technology has been used there has been serious environmental impacts including soil contamination and exposure to toxins. Mistakes in Australia were so bad that a number of prosecutions have been brought.
“This expert report also states that, if UCG was operated at scale, the resulting carbon and greenhouse gas emissions would make meeting our climate change targets much more difficult if not impossible.
“Carbon emissions would be particularly problematic without accompanying storage technology to mitigate its affects – while the Tories might be happy to bang the drum for UCG they should remember the utter betrayal of the UK Government who u-turned on their plans to invest in Carbon Capture in Scotland.”
