The plan commits to bold action and renewed focus in tackling the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.
It sets out a route-map to halt nature loss by 2030 and deliver nature restoration at scale across Scotland by 2045.
Priority areas for Scotland’s nature agency over the next four years include:
Leading the delivery of 30% of land and sea being protected by 2030
Scaling up peatland restoration through the Peatland ACTION project to substantially exceed Scotland’s goal of 250,000 ha of restored peatland by 2030
Delivering a major Nature Restoration Fund targeted at high impact and landscape-scale nature recovery and climate projects
Substantially reducing deer numbers to enable our woodlands and peatlands to naturally grow and capture carbon.
Biodiversity Minister Lorna Slater said: “The Scottish Government has been working closely with NatureScot to develop this plan, which presents a sharp focus on restoring and protecting Scotland’s natural environment to deliver ‘a nature rich future for all’.
“This autumn we will publish a new biodiversity strategy with ambitious targets to protect at least 30% of Scotland’s land and sea for nature, and highly protect 10%. I look forward to working with NatureScot to achieve our goals both at home and abroad.
“2022 will be a crucial year for nature – at COP15 a new global framework for halting biodiversity loss will be agreed. Scotland has been leading the Edinburgh process, mobilising other sub-national governments, cities, states and regions around the world to agree shared goals for nature.”
NatureScot Chair Dr Mike Cantlay said: “Nature is in crisis and we face a climate emergency. Much has been achieved but we know that greater urgency is needed to meet these colossal challenges.
“This plan sets out the bold action NatureScot will lead to protect, restore and value nature. By doing so, nature can contribute more than 40% of Scotland’s drive for net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.
“Success will require a radical change in how we use and value the land and sea. It’s vital that this transition is just and fair, with investment in nature delivering for people as well as planet through green jobs and investment.
“We know that we cannot deliver this vision on our own. As Scotland’s nature agency, we will continue to work closely with partners, communities and businesses towards our shared goal of a nature-rich, net zero Scotland.”
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published yesterday (Monday 4 April) shows growth in global emissions has slowed over the past decade, but much more needs to be done, including halving global emissions by 2030, to keep the goal of 1.5C in reach and avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
The window to keep 1.5C in reach is closing fast
Global growth in emissions slowed in last decade but further urgent action vital
UK COP Presidency calls on countries to deliver on the historic Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at COP26
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published yesterday shows growth in global emissions has slowed over the past decade, but much more needs to be done, including halving global emissions by 2030, to keep the goal of 1.5C in reach and avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
The IPCC’s independent report highlights the need for urgent action in decarbonising energy, industry, transport and making homes more energy efficient, to achieve the Paris Agreement’s central goal of keeping a global temperature rise this century to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5C.
The report also shows reasons for optimism with a trend showing a slowing growth of global emissions. It also details how economic growth can be achieved alongside ambitious emissions reductions and the falling costs of renewables. Since 2010, solar energy costs and lithium-ion battery costs have decreased by around 85%, and wind energy by around 55%.
The UK is calling on countries to deliver on the Glasgow Climate Pact, in which 197 countries agreed to revisit and strengthen their 2030 emissions reduction commitments (Nationally Determined Contributions) as necessary this year to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal and thereby limit the worst impacts of climate change.
Governments from around the world have spent a fortnight at a UK-hosted session examining climate scientists’ evidence for this report. The IPCC has concluded that to limit warming to 1.5C, global emissions must peak before 2025, and then be halved by early 2030s – in part by ending the world’s reliance on fossil fuels, including reducing use of unabated coal by three quarters by 2030.
COP26 President Alok Sharma, said: “This report makes clear that the window to keep 1.5 degrees alive is closing alarmingly fast. The warning lights are yet again flashing bright red on the climate dashboard and it is high time for governments to sit up and act before it is too late.
“That is why it is absolutely vital that as agreed in the Glasgow Climate Pact all countries, especially the G20 nations which are responsible for 80 per cent of global emissions, revisit and strengthen their 2030 emission reduction targets this year as necessary to align with the Paris temperature goal if we are to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change.
“But this report also gives hope that the rate of growth in emissions is slowing and that thanks to the falling cost of renewables and technological innovation it is possible to transition to a cleaner future.
“We know that a net zero economy presents huge opportunities for growth and the creation of good green jobs and so countries and companies need to accelerate that transition.
“The UK has already committed to reducing carbon emissions by 68% by 2030 and by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels, before reaching net zero by 2050 as set out in the UK’s comprehensive Net-Zero Strategy. It is calling on the global community to honour the commitment to provide at least $100bn a year to support developing countries take ambitious climate action.”
UK Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, Greg Hands, said: “Today’s report is a reminder to the world of the grave threat of climate change.
“There is still a window of opportunity to act to reduce the effects.
“The UK is going further and faster to generate more cheap and clean renewable power. This will reduce our exposure to expensive global gas prices.
“We call on the global community to seize the moment and join us in stepping up a green transition.”
The IPCC’s last report, published in February, warned that some of the impacts of global warming are “irreversible”, with more than 40% of the world’s population now highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events like floods and heatwaves.
Today’s report also highlights the economic opportunities from the transition to a net zero economy, with the falling costs of renewable energy, and comes six months after the UK published a comprehensive Net Zero Strategy.
This sets out how it will secure 440,000 well-paid jobs and unlock £90 billion in investment by 2030, by helping British businesses and consumers transition to clean energy and green technology. It included £1 billion investment in electric vehicles, £3.9 billion for insulating our homes, along with support for commercialising sustainable aviation fuel and help heavy industry move to hydrogen power.
This month the UK is starting to spend its £200 million pledged to support developing countries cut emissions through the new extension of the Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (PACT) programme.
The UK will also soon publish a new International Climate Finance (ICF) Strategy, laying out its delivery plan for £11.6 billion of investment to help countries across the globe respond to the climate emergency. The funding represents a doubling of support for communities worst affected by global warming.
Friends of the Earth: IPCC Climate Report shows ‘economic system is incompatible with life on Earth’
Environmental campaigners have said that the latest UN climate report makes clear that Governments must say no to new fossil fuels and tackle an economic system that is speeding us towards climate breakdown.
The IPCC’s latest report looks at ways to mitigate climate change and follows reports on the physical science in August 2021 and on the impacts of a changing climate that was presented last month. These reports help shape Government climate action around the world.
The report presents various models of future mitigation scenarios or ‘pathways’, for reducing emissions. These models are limited in that they are shaped by a variety of economic assumptions including continuous economic growth, and are therefore hotly debated politically choices about how to act.
Many of the models presented assume that we can allow global heating to rise beyond 1.5°C – known as overshooting – and then bring the temperature back down using as yet unproven technologies at some point in the future.
The IPCC’s last reporting cycle was 8 years ago, in which time the remaining carbon budget for holding warming to the critical 1.5°C has significantly diminished.
Friends of the Earth Scotland Head of Campaigns Mary Church said: “Today’s UN report is another stark warning that the likelihood of avoiding 1.5°C is shrinking fast.
“Deep emissions cuts are needed now, and the message at the heart of this latest study is that we must say no to all new oil and gas, put an end to fossil fuel subsidies and urgently start delivering a just transition for impacted communities.
“In assuming varying degrees of overshooting the critical 1.5°C threshold, the pathways set out in this report are simply untenable and show the political battles that are being fought around how to act on the science.
“Only last month we saw the previous UN report warning that the impacts of climate breakdown are happening sooner and are more devastating than previously thought, and of the irreversible impacts of going beyond 1.5°C.
“Yet corporations who are profiting from this catastrophe are pushing dangerous and speculative techno-fixes, that would gamble with life on earth for the sake of squeezing out every last drop of oil, and we are seeing their influence in the pathways set out.
“What’s crystal clear is that this crisis is being driven by over-consumption by the rich, particularly in the global north. Despite the bleak findings of today’s report, hope remains because the science also shows that another world, with decent standards of living for all, is possible within the remaining carbon budget.
“But only if we rapidly phase out fossil fuels, and wealthy countries responsible for driving the climate to the brink step up to the plate and start doing their fair share of action.”
Hemantha Withanage, Chair of Friends of the Earth International, based in Sri Lanka, said: “We cannot betray the promise of a 1.5°C degree warming threshold. If the IPCC’s WG3 report does not contain any mitigation pathways that keep us from breaching 1.5°C degrees within the constraints of the current economic paradigm, that is only proof that this economic system is incompatible with life on Earth.
“The priority for our communities, movements, and decision-makers must now be to end the era of fossil fuels and transform our societies and economies towards sustainable systems designed to address peoples’ needs, safety and wellbeing, not profit and greed.”
Artisan Real Estate’s wholesale commitment to sustainable residential development across the UK has been recognised with its Edinburgh-based Rowanbank Gardens development being nominated for a prestigious national accolade geared to tackling climate crisis.
Rowanbank Gardens, in the bustling Edinburgh suburb of Corstorphine, has been shortlisted for the best residential Climate Crisis Initiative for the 2022 RESI Awards, which recognises excellence in UK-wide residential property.
The award nomination reflects Artisan’s continued multi-million investment in fossil-fuel free regeneration-based residential projects in key regional city centres across the UK – with major developments currently taking place in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Bristol.
Due for completion in 2023, Rowanbank Gardens provides immaculate environmental credentials creating a spectacular blueprint for low-carbon living. The industry-leading sustainable development, replacing a former care home on a brownfield site, is set to deliver 126 high quality apartments all with private gardens and balconies set around a shared courtyard garden in a well-connected central location.
Welcoming the RESI Climate Crisis Initiative award nomination, Clive Wilding, Artisan’s Group Development Director said: “I am absolutely delighted that Rowanbank Gardens has won national recognition for its bold ambition to tackle the very real challenges of climate change which are currently facing our industry.
“As a niche developer, Artisan Real Estate has always striven for improvement by creating a lower carbon footprint in the homes and buildings we create – not just in delivery but throughout their multi-generational lifespan.
“Rowanbank Gardens is the latest manifestation of Artisan’s stated commitment towards a radical improvement in its development cycle to create the lowest possible carbon footprint in the residential buildings that the company creates. With innovations such as green roofs, it brings together smart energy-efficient design geared to achieving low to zero carbon ratings whilst responding to the rapidly changing requirements of home buyers and the wider community post-Covid.”
He added: “The evolution of Rowanbank Gardens shows that, as well as reducing urban sprawl by optimising the number of people living in well-designed sustainable homes in well-connected locations served by public transport, we are also pioneering the application of innovative technology to eliminate the use of fossil fuels whilst vastly reducing energy consumption.”
Fuelled by a desire to transform brownfield city centre sites into sustainable, contemporary and low carbon homes developments, Artisan’s residential developments are creating a progressive residential blueprint which has a timely resonance for post-lockdown living across the UK.
As well as Rowanbank Gardens, this has also helped shaped the delivery of the 179-apartment Canonmills Garden development, overlooking the Water of Leith to the north of Edinburgh’s city centre which is now nearing completion.
The development has pioneered the integration of low and zero carbon generating technology, incorporating green roofs as well as a combined heat and power system helping to support building energy loads whilst charging electric vehicles, reducing both building and transport CO2 emissions.
Artisan is also delivering the Kirkstall Place development in Leeds, providing 263 family homes designed to meet low carbon and non-fossil fuel standards together with substantial amounts of external space, providing a wide range of biodiversity.
The winners of the 2022 RESI Awards will be revealed on Wednesday 11th May at a live ceremony in London.
A company behind innovation to create healthy forest ecosystems which support successful tree-planting has secured £370,000 in equity investment.
Edinburgh-headquartered Rhizocore Technologies produces locally adapted mycorrhizal fungi to enhance tree-planting projects, a key measure in addressing carbon sequestration. The company’s specially developed fungal pellets are used when new saplings are planted helping accelerate woodland regeneration, improve forest productivity, and increase natural capital benefits.
Rhizocore was founded by Toby Parkes, a Biology graduate from the University of Bath who also holds a PhD in Biochemistry; and David Satori, a Master’s degree graduate in Plant and Fungal Taxonomy, Diversity and Conservation from Queen Mary University of London and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
The pair developed their business idea with support from the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Innovation Centre. Rhizocore also participated in the Food & Agriculture Science Transformer (FAST) programme.
A collaboration between Deep Science Ventures and the University of Edinburgh, FAST is supported by the University’s Data-Driven Entrepreneurship programme to work with innovative high growth start-ups operating in the agriculture sector. The initiative draws applications from around the world.
The seed investment package secured by Rhizocore includes £85K of equity funding via the Edinburgh Technology Fund (ETF) managed by the University of Edinburgh’s Edinburgh Innovations Investment Team, and a further £85K from Deep Sciences Ventures. An additional £70K comes from climate tech investors including David Rowan with £130K investment from Nucleus Capital, specialist investors which provide finance for purpose-driven entrepreneurs tackling planetary health challenges.
The company has also secured around £180K in additional grants from SMART:SCOTLAND, Scottish Edge, the Forestry Commission, and Graduate Career Advantage Scotland.
The University of Edinburgh assisted Rhizocore providing strategic business advice including internal and external due diligence support on its recent SMART:SCOTLAND grant application.
Now employing seven staff, Rhizocore will use this additional investment to scale its business across all parts of the UK where local fungi is implemented as part of its production processes. The company will also invest in further strategic partnerships aimed at enhancing woodland ecosystems and increasing carbon sequestration from tree-planting projects.
Rhizocore is currently involved in several existing pilot projects including one with woodland regeneration charity Trees for Life in the Caledonian rainforest, and another with forestry management company Tilhill in the Scottish Borders.
Rhizocore co-founder and CEO Toby Parkes said: “This latest investment will help us scale production as we aim to support the planting of 40 million new trees across the UK every year.
“The range of support we’ve had from angel investors and grant funding bodies is a real testimony to our innovative approach in addressing the challenges of successful and sustainable tree-planting by enhancing local forestry ecosystems.”
Charlotte Waugh, Enterprise and Innovation Programme Lead at Edinburgh Innovations, said: “The University of Edinburgh is proud to support and invest in Rhizocore, a purpose-led business focused on maximising the impact of reforestation projects.
“The company’s participation in the FAST programme and further support through the Roslin Innovation Centre has helped Rhizocore develop its proposition where it’s now ready to scale for significant growth. We look forward to working with them and supporting the exciting journey that lies ahead.”
Community-led groups looking to play major role promoting green travel by rail, as Scotland’s train services move into public ownership
Members of a grassroots ‘community rail’ movement are looking forward to playing a growing role helping Scottish communities to thrive, and working towards a greener transport future, as ScotRail services transfer into the public sector on 1st April.
As Scotland’s railways move into this new era, the country’s network of community rail partnerships and groups are set to play a key role in its future, engaging communities with local railways and stations, promoting social inclusion, and enabling and encouraging more people to get around sustainably by train.
This year, following on from COP26, they are especially working to get across the huge carbon savings of travelling by train instead of driving or flying, and engaging communities and rail partners to make it easier to use the train combined with walking, cycling, buses, and community transport.
To coincide with the changes in the rail industry, Scotland’s community rail partnerships are working with their umbrella body Community Rail Network to showcase the vital, sometimes life-changing work taking place in community rail, from the Borders to the Highlands, and get across the importance of train travel to tackling the climate emergency – including through a new inspiring promotional video.
This follows on from Community Rail Network’s ‘Community Rail in Scotland’ report, published in 2021, which highlight the efforts of 1,200 volunteers who give over 55,000 hours annually, valued at £4.7 million per year, to promote sustainable and healthy travel, wellbeing, economic development, and tourism in their local area.
Making up Scotland’s eight community rail partnerships and 260 station groups, they carry out projects to bring improvements to rail services and stations, such as improved accessibility and community facilities, while helping communities to have a voice in rail and transport development, working with train operators, local authorities, and other partners.
They also build local confidence and awareness around train travel, breaking down barriers and creating a sense of public ownership towards the railways.
Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, said: “As Scotland’s railways enter a new era, and with the need to encourage greener ways to get around more pressing than ever, Scotland’s community rail movement is redoubling its efforts.
“We see the shift of ScotRail trains into public ownership as a great opportunity to further connect local communities with their railways and get more people travelling by train.
“Community rail has an inspiring track record of doing just that: promoting travel confidence and increasing access to opportunity, while bringing people together, giving communities a voice, and putting railways and stations at the heart of community life.
“Over the coming years, we’ll be working closely with Scotland’s community rail partnerships, volunteers, and railway partners with a strong focus on supporting and enabling greener journeys by train. We’re looking forward to community rail playing a vital role in the great shift we need, towards more sustainable, inclusive, community-friendly transport.”
Transport is the largest contributor to climate emissions in Scotland, and in response to the climate emergency, Transport Scotland has committed to reducing emissions by 75% by 2030, and to a legally binding target of net-zero by 2045.
Rail accounted for just 1% of UK domestic transport emissions in 2019, despite representing 10% of the total distance travelled, and for a 30-mile journey, travelling by train instead of by car can reduce emissions by up to 86%.
The partnerships are supported by Community Rail Network and the Smarter Choices, Smarter Places programme, funded by Transport Scotland and administered by Paths for All. This support helps to develop projects and deliver work promoting sustainable journeys with rail at their heart, aligning with Scotland’s vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe, and accessible transport system.
Graham McQueen, Smarter Choices, Smarter Places manager, said: “Changing the way we make everyday journeys is good for our health, it’s good for our communities, and it helps protect our environment.
“We need to drive less and walk, cycle, and use public transport more. We are delighted to support Community Rail Network in Scotland as community support and engagement is key to the integration of train stations into communities, making them more pleasant and accessible, and ultimately encouraging more people to use sustainable transport options for longer journeys.
“The Paths for All Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme supports hundreds of creative projects throughout Scotland, all looking to encourage behaviour change towards a happier, healthier, and greener way of life.
“The way we travel is central to this and that’s why we’re delighted to support this promotional video that shows how rail travel can play a key role in changing the way we travel and how travelling by train can be more inclusive and sustainable.”
Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater has announced the formation of an advisory group that will shape plans for mandatory charges on coffee cups and other single-use disposable beverage containers.
Work to tackle single-use cup waste is re-starting, having been paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The charge is expected to come into effect during the course of this parliament.
The group will contain representatives from every stage of the supply chain – from manufacturers and distributors through small and large retailers – as well as consumer groups, environmental NGOs, equalities groups and academics.
Charging for single-use cups will help encourage people to make the move to reusable alternatives and support the shift to a more circular economy.
Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said: “Single-use coffee cups are a classic example of the throwaway culture that we are taking action to tackle.
“Lots of people already carry a reusable cup with them, but hundreds of millions of single-use cups are still being wasted every single year.
“Evidence shows that a small charge on single-use cups can be hugely effective in encouraging people to switch to a reusable alternative.
“I look forward to working with experts representing business, the environment and consumers to take forward this important measure. Alongside Scotland’s deposit return scheme, which will recycle nearly two billion bottles and cans every year, and our action to ban some of the most problematic single-use plastics, this will make a vital contribution to reducing the amount of waste generated in the country.”
Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland, said: “Single-use items, like cups, are emblematic of the throwaway culture we need to change if we want to tackle the climate crisis.
“We know there’s an appetite for action on such items, with a recent Zero Waste Scotland survey indicating that 66 per cent of Scots would support introducing charges to limit the use of single-use plastic and packaging.
“Switching to reusable over single-use is one of the best things we can all do for the environment, so it’s hugely welcome news that work to shape a chargeable cup scheme is continuing with the formation of an advisory group.”
Campaigners are calling for more ambition, however.Friends of the Earth Scotland point out that disposable cups are a small part of Scotland’s overall material footprint. Scotland consumed 100 million tonnes of materials in 2017, and must reduce this by 57% to become environmentally sustainable.
Removing disposable cups completely would be less than 0.01% (4,000 tonnes) of the change that is needed.
Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said: “Disposable cups are a symbol of our linear economy that we need to move away from, but we simply do not have the time to change our economy one product at a time.
“The Scottish Government must go further and faster on this, and it needs to use the charge introduction to learn lessons that can be applied more widely.
“Over-consumption is causing the climate crisis, and changing our culture of consumption is a key part of the solution. The Circular Economy Bill, which is being consulted on by the Scottish Government in May, is a vital opportunity to make the whole system change that is needed.”
82% of Scotland’s carbon footprint relates to material consumption. From buildings and transport to food and clothing, we use materials in a linear way: extracting raw materials, making them into products, using them (sometimes only once) and throwing them away to be burnt or buried.
Cutting our material consumption to sustainable levels will support Scotland to reach its climate goals.
New report from Stagecoach sets out pathway to attracting over one million new passengers to the UK’s bus networks through the switch to Zero Emission Buses
New report sets out an ambitious national vision for achieving the introduction of 100% Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs) across the UK
Independent research shows that over a million new passengers could start using buses if the transition to ZEBs is done right, having a significant impact on modal shift from cars to public transport
Research makes clear that the costs of the transition cannot fully be borne by passengers, with fare rises to finance the increased costs of greener buses risking a significant reduction in bus patronage
Report highlights significant operational and commercial challenges all bus operators face to introducing a full ZEB fleet
It sets out a detailed plan for introducing greener buses, with a series of recommendations for industry, government and local authorities to meet the practical challenges and deliver on passenger expectations, including securing a sustainable long-term funding model.
More than one million new passengers could be attracted to use the UK’s bus networks through the switch to zero emission buses, according to a new landmark report published today by Stagecoach, Britain’s biggest operator.
Road map to zero: the transition to Zero Emission Buses, what it means for people, and the journey to get there sets out an ambitious national vision for achieving the introduction of 100% Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs) across the UK.
The independent research and recommendations build on Stagecoach’s target of achieving a 100% Zero Emission UK bus fleet by 2035 and are designed to support all bus operators in achieving this ambition as well as supporting the country’s net zero targets.
Looking at the challenge by focussing on the people who interact most with the bus network – both the public and the workforce – the report identifies the scale of the opportunity that electric buses present, showing how they can attract a new generation of bus users.
Over a million current non-bus users say they would start to use services if electric buses were introduced in their local area, as long as fares and frequency remain the same. What’s more, over nine million current passengers would expect to use the bus more often.
The research shows that almost one in five of people interviewed in Scotland would use the bus more if Zero Emission Buses replaced local diesel buses, with 73% of people wanting to see their local bus company move to using only ZEBs.
The report highlights the significant operational and commercial challenges that all UK bus operators need overcome to achieve this, including:
Upgrading infrastructure across the country, electrifying all vehicles and depots, recognising the increased space and longer charging times that ZEBs will require.
Upskilling the workforce and attracting a new generation of people to highly skilled, green jobs in the bus industry.
Developing a long-term sustainable funding approach which reflects the increased costs of a ZEB compared to a diesel bus.
Critically the research lays bare the importance of getting the approach to overcoming these challenges right.
Getting the transition wrong could have significant consequences for passengers and the sustainability of the bus network. Independent polling carried out as part of the report shows that if fares were to increase by just 10% to fund the transition to Zero Emissions Buses, more than 12 million passengers say they would use the bus less often, with 63% of people interviewed in Scotland agreeing with this stance.
If the introduction of greener buses failed to improve either punctuality, frequency or passenger experience, over 14.5 million people would be left disappointed.
The research highlights significant public support for the transition to ZEBs, finding that:
The public want to see the introduction of greener buses – 66% of the public think that the move to Zero Emission Buses is a good thing
Transitioning to Zero Emission Buses is likely to make the public have a more positive impression of their local bus operator – there is a likely 268% increase in satisfaction towards their local bus operator amongst non-bus users after the introduction of ZEBs
The public recognise the scale of the challenge – 53% of the public consider that it will be hard or very hard for bus operators to shift to 100% ZEBs.
To meet passenger expectations, Stagecoach has today proposed three core principles and 21 specific recommendations which will allow the industry to transition to 100% electric buses while increasing the number of passengers across the network.
Developed following a roundtable with industry stakeholders and policymakers, and reflecting the priorities of passengers, the principles identified from the report are:
Funding: The costs of the transition cannot fully be borne by passengers as patronage will fall further.
Customer experience: Passengers need to feel that the quality and reliability of service they receive when travelling by bus will improve with the introduction of green buses, rather than be put at threat.
Partnership: All stakeholders with an interest in delivering this vision need to work collaboratively to solve the barriers to rollout.
The report’s specific recommendations cover funding, infrastructure and operational changes, and workforce challenges, and include:
Bus operators, local authorities and national governments should work collaboratively to explore new or innovative long-term funding models, including local revenue raising solutions.
Bus operators should work with local authorities to promote the introduction of new ZEBs to ensure their introduction is effectively maximised as a potential trigger point for modal shift.
The bus sector should collectively promote new ‘green engineering apprenticeships’ to young people across the UK, securing a sustainable workforce of the future.
Local Transport Decarbonisation Partnerships should be established between different bus operators, Distribution Network Operators and local authorities to establish the gaps between existing grid capacity and that are required to achieve full ZEB rollout in each community
Government and Ofgem should assess the need for a new statutory duty on DNOs to prioritise grid infrastructure upgrades which have a significant social and community impact, such as bus charging infrastructure.
Martin Griffiths, Chief Executive of Stagecoach, said: “This report demonstrates the prize that is front of the country in terms of moving people out of cars and onto lower carbon forms of transport, if we get the transition to Zero Emissions Buses right.
“Not only can we reduce emissions by transforming the environmental footprint of the bus fleet, but we can build a new generation of bus passengers.
“This is exciting news for bus operators, the wider industry, government, local authorities and crucially for passengers. However, it’s clear that this is conditional on us all getting the transition right and ensuring that the priorities of passengers are put first.
“Our research makes clear that this transformational change needs to be done carefully. This road map is our contribution to the wider debate, setting out a plan that will support the whole sector make this a success.
“It’s clear that to achieve this we must take a collaborative approach that meets passenger expectations and focusses on improving the passenger experience. If we get this right there’s so much to gain, but if we don’t we risk setting back the transition to Net Zero.”
The recommendations in the report have been supported by leading voices across the sector including Scottish Government, Zemo Partnership, Campaign for Better Transport and Transport Focus.
Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth said: “I welcome this contribution from Stagecoach on practical actions that can be taken to decarbonise buses, putting workers and passengers at the forefront of considerations.
“Choosing bus is already a fantastic choice for the environment, but electric buses offer even more benefits for our air quality and climate.
“To respond to the global climate emergency, we all have to play our part. So I’m pleased that as well as producing this report, Stagecoach is active in our Bus Decarbonisation Taskforce, where we are working together to agree a pathway to a zero emission fleet for Scotland.”
The Rt Hon Norman Baker, Campaigns and Policy Advisor for Campaign for Better Transport, said: “It is great to see the enthusiasm within the bus industry for a determined move towards a zero emission bus fleet.
“This reinforces the point that the bus is key to any strategy to tackle climate change and rightly positions the bus as part of the solution and a vehicle firmly grounded in the future. We welcome this report from Stagecoach.”
Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: “We are pleased to see this report and research from Stagecoach. Zero emission vehicles will be increasingly key to helping public transport play its part in achieving Government decarbonisation targets.
“More investment in buses is really welcome. New vehicles, plus a focus on passengers’ key priorities of reliability and value, will tempt more people to give bus a go.”
Andy Eastlake, Chief Executive, Zemo Partnership – the organisation working closely with Government and key stakeholders to accelerate the net zero transition in road transport – said: “This report shows the potential ‘win-win’ we could achieve from the transition to zero emission buses if we work together to get things right.
“Travelling by bus can already be one of the most sustainable and lowest carbon modes of travel and the rapid transition to zero emission buses – that we’re working hard with Stagecoach and others to achieve – will improve this further.
“The shift to zero tailpipe emissions buses is a great opportunity to transform the image of the bus and capture a whole new set of users who want to do their bit for the UK’s net zero ambitions. The smooth, quiet, efficient zero emission bus using renewable energy can be a compelling proposition and should be in the vanguard of the UK’s journey away from fossil fuels.”
Stagecoach has taken positive strides in moving towards a Zero Emission fleet in Scotland, and is in the process of introducing 46 new fully electric buses in its key Scottish transport networks in Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Perth as part of the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme.
Stagecoach launched its new long-term sustainability strategy last year; Driving Net Zero: Better Places to Live and Work – which sets out plans to decarbonise its business by around 70% by 2035 as well as targeting a Zero Emissions bus fleet across the UK by that date.
The roadmap to becoming a fully carbon neutral business will see investment in new Zero-Emissions fleets, such as electric buses, and other green technologies over the next 15 years. It follows a 14% reduction in carbon emissions between 2014 and 2019.
The UK’s leading IoT service and solutions provider, North, has been appointed by IT and business consulting firm, CGI, to support the City of Edinburgh Council’s vision to become one of the world’s leading Smart Cities.
A five-year contract has been agreed to support the Council’s plans to ‘transform the capital into one of the world’s leading Smart Cities’.
The deal is supported by a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant as part of the ‘Scotland’s 8th City – the Smart City’ programme. City of Edinburgh Council will deliver three projects budgeted at £6.4m, of which £2.5m is part of the ERDF grant. Funding secured by the Council from Zero Waste Scotland through its Recycling Improvement Fund will also be used towards the scheme.
The development of a Smart City Operations Centre will transform and enhance city management and the citizen experience by utilising data captured through a range of emerging technologies to drive transformational change’.
Driven by CGI’s industry-leading Smart City Platform, North was selected by CGI to provide the Smart Waste sensors and to provide connectivity for the solution through the IoT Scotland network, the most advanced Internet of Things (IoT) network in the UK.
Intelligent sensor data will now be used to develop and drive improvements for better waste management, transmitted using North’s IoT Scotland network, allowing the City of Edinburgh Council to improve services across the city.
The project will see North provision 11,000 smart waste sensors in waste containers throughout the city. The state-of-the-art technology will enable clever waste management by detecting waste levels and predicting usage trends, enabling the Council to optimise waste collection and manage routes more efficiently.
The smart technology will assist in creating a cleaner and greener city and will help reduce the Council’s environmental impact.
The IoT Scotland network will also be used to transmit data for other critical services to enhance the council’s digital vision. In parallel with the waste project the council will roll-out a digitally enabled proactive service for Social Housing across the city, using the IoT Scotland network.
This solution will capture insightful data through real-time management and monitoring of the conditions in social housing properties. The proactive approach for the maintenance of properties and asset management will deliver efficiencies for the council while enhancing the living conditions of their residents and improving wellbeing.
Commenting on the partnership, City of Edinburgh Council Deputy Leader, Cammy Day, said:“Edinburgh has big ambitions for becoming a world-leading Smart City – a digitally inclusive, sustainable and connected Capital with services easily accessible by all of our residents no matter where they are.
“The use of intelligent sensors will help us to deliver a more digitally-enabled proactive service and address many of the challenges a rapidly growing city like Edinburgh faces and will support our work towards providing clean and green communities, meeting our net zero targets and improving living conditions and wellbeing for all.”
Scott McEwan, Chief Commercial Officer at North, said:“Edinburgh is one of seven Scottish cities working collaboratively on a Smart City programme. The introduction of the Smart City Platform will enable the Council to reach its ambitions efficiently and North is proud to accelerate this vision.
“The use of technology to introduce intelligent waste management services will create a cost-efficient solution to everyday duties, whilst improving the streetscape and health of communities, and increasing sustainability. Working with CGI, the roll-out of the smart waste scheme is an important step that will help Edinburgh reach its ambitions.”
Tara McGeehan, UK & Australia President at CGI, said:“Edinburgh is a vibrant and diverse capital city that is home to more than 518,000 citizens and CGI has been the primary provider of transformational ICT services to the City of Edinburgh Council since 2015.
“We very much look forward to taking Edinburgh’s vision of a Smart City and making it real through our innovative use of technology, analytics and data. Together, we will turn Edinburgh into one of the world’s leading Smart Cities.”
Environmental campaigners have hailed the news that plans for a major incinerator at Stonehouse in South Lanarkshire have been cancelled after sustained community opposition.
Viridor, one of the UK’s biggest waste management companies, has cancelled plans to build what would have been Scotland’s largest incinerator. The decision comes as the Scottish Government’s independent review considers the future of incineration.
The Overwood incinerator could have burned 330,000 tonnes of rubbish and would have led to a substantial rise in vehicles on the road in the area and subsequently a rise in air and noise pollution too.
Kim Pratt, Circular Economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said: “This is a huge victory for the Stonehouse community and they should be proud of their efforts.
“Viridor have made this decision before the findings of the Scottish Government’s review into incineration are published next month, signalling that even large waste management companies know that time is up for incineration in Scotland.
“This decision shows that the current moratorium on new incineration applications should be extended immediately and that Scotland needs an exit strategy from incineration if it is to meet its climate goals. “We need to see a greater focus on reducing waste and recycling, and we must stop burning our valuable resources if we are to bring down the consumption levels that are wrecking the planet.”
Dovesdale Action Group have led the local campaign against the project, blocking earlier plans for a similar incinerator nearby and leading the huge community response opposing the Overwood plant.
John Young, from the Dovesdale Action Group said, “The announcement by Viridor to withdraw their proposal for the largest incinerator in Scotland is testament to the strength of the campaign here in South Lanarkshire to protect our communities from the impact it would have had on our rural landscape, public health, the environment and climate change.
“This is the second time we have fought and defeated proposals for such a development.
“This campaign has raised the issues of incineration to a national level in understanding the threats such proposals have on our climate targets, recycling targets and protecting communities across Scotland. Today ‘nature’ is telling us the time has come to think differently about how we manage our waste and produce goods.
“Dovesdale Action Group and communities want to see a national policy in Scotland that reflects our aspirations of a cleaner, greener society and we hope that the national review of incineration reflects the need for change and sees Scotland take an international role in leading that change globally.”
Scottish household waste data shows that incineration rates have risen rapidly over the last decade. In 2011, households burnt 70,000 tonne of waste but by 2020 that figure had risen to 606,000 tonnes.
Over the same period the amount of waste recycled has fallen and Scotland now has the worst recycling rates in the UK. Scotland currently has six working incinerators for household waste and a capacity to burn 1.6 million tonnes of waste per year.
From Inverurie to Irvine, a further six incinerators are due to start operating in the next few years with the capacity to burn a further 1,506,000 tonnes of waste a year. There are at least four other incinerators under consideration.
How 13.2 million recycled plastic bottles become a game-changing furniture range: introducing Nassau from LifestyleGarden
Last week LifestyleGarden®, in partnership with Plastic Bank and the Eden Project, launched one of the most exciting furniture ranges to ever hit the UK market.
The new Nassau collection – powered by Social Plastic® is set to revolutionise the impact furniture can have upon the planet as well as people and communities.
Not only will every Nassau chair be made from the equivalent of 175 recycled plastic bottles, but the range is already committed to utilising the equivalent of 13.2million bottles (or 264,000kgs) in its first year. That’s a lot of plastic!
The impact of the Nassau collection goes further than vital environmental protection, however. In a true industry first, this collection will also close the loop by positively impacting the social and economic communities within the Plastic Bank supply chain through the use of Social Plastic®.
Simply put, Social Plastic® is ethically recovered plastic which helps fight ocean pollution, whilst simultaneously empowering those who collect it.
Collectors in Plastic Bank’s ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities receive bonuses for the materials they collect, which helps them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, school tuition, internet access, health insurance, cooking fuel and more.
But these collectors aren’t invisible entities operating in the background. Working with Plastic Bank, LifestyleGarden® is able to access a dashboard, enabling us to see exactly which collector has collected materials which will be funnelled into the Nassau range.
We can then follow these collectors to see how their lives change as the bonuses they receive continue to help them out of poverty.
Over the coming months we be following these collector stories and hope to share them with you.
For now, we hope the Nassau – powered by Social Plastic® range will be of interest.
The range is available to buy from a wide range of UK garden centres, the Eden Project’s online store and via Robert Dyas on the high street.
The RRP for a two-seater bistro set is £299, whilst a four-seater dining set is £499. A set of two chairs is priced at RRP £179. Available in peony pink, sage green and honey yellow, and white.
If you want to find out more about LifestyleGarden® and its premium-quality outdoor furniture, please visit us at www.lifestylegarden.com and follow the team on Facebook and Instagram.
