Climate campaigners have said that BP reporting a tripling of quarterly profits shows that the UK energy system is ‘fundamentally broken.’ The oil giant today announced profits of £6.9 billion ($8.45 billion) in just 3 months.
Meanwhile, energy consultants have forecast that energy bills could reach over £3,600 per household.
BP have said they will use these record profits to pay out to their shareholders as well as buy back shares in the company from investors. Share buybacks are a way of increasing the value of shares for shareholders.
BP continues to invest in fossil fuel projects such as the Murlach oil field which will further ‘lock us into’ this broken energy system for decades, increasing company profits even further at the expense of people and the planet, campaigners say.
Climate scientists and energy experts have warned that we cannot afford any more investment into fossil fuel extraction if we are to limit dangerous climate warming to 1.5ºC.
Recent research revealed the oil and gas industry has made over $52 trillion in profit over the last 50 years.
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Oil and Gas Campaigner Freya Aitchison said: “This announcement of yet another obscene profit for BP is a clear sign that our energy system is fundamentally broken.
“Rising energy prices are a key driver of the cost of living crisis which is plunging millions of people in the UK into fuel poverty, yet bosses and shareholders at BP are getting even richer by exploiting one of our most basic needs.”
“BP is also worsening climate breakdown and extreme weather by continuing to invest and lock us into new oil and gas projects for decades to come. Instead of allowing these companies to continue causing social and environmental devastation to boost their profits, we need to overhaul our energy system to rapidly phase out oil and gas.
“A fair and fast transition to renewables must ensure that everyone has access to affordable and clean renewable energy.”
Environmental NGOs have branded a UK and Scottish Government Action Plan to deliver on environmental rights ‘woefully inadequate’.
The groups have written to a key UN body to express their concern about a lack of concrete commitments to reform the legal system to help people defend the environment.
The Action Plan was requested by the United Nations Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee which has repeatedly found the UK to be in breach of the Convention’s access to justice requirements.
In October 2021 the Meeting of Parties to the Convention made a set of recommendations and requested an Action Plan from the UK Government detailing how it will, ‘as a matter of urgency …ensure that the allocation of costs in all court procedures subject to Article 9 [which deals with access to justice] be made fair, equitable and not prohibitively expensive’.
The Scottish Government is obliged to ensure that Scotland’s legal system is compliant with the Convention and contributed to this Plan.
The Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland and RSPB Scotland analysis of the submitted action plan, reveals that the measures outlined by the Scottish Government will fail to ensure access to justice by the deadline of October 2024.
Environmental campaigners are calling for the Scottish Government to make a clear commitment to fully implement the UN’s recommendations by the deadline.
Shivali Fifield, Chief Officer at ERCS, said: “We welcome the Scottish Government’s acknowledgement that access to justice on environmental matters is prohibitively expensive.
“Yet this is not matched with concrete legal and policy reforms. We believe that fundamental changes to the legislative framework are required and the government must now stop dragging its feet and fully implement the Committee’s recommendations.”
Mary Church, Head of Campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “This is a woefully inadequate response to a decade of rulings that the Scottish Government is in breach of international law for its failure to ensure access to justice for the environment.
“With no concrete commitments to actually reform the system and make legal action more affordable this is an action plan in name only.
“As we face the unprecedented challenges of the climate and nature emergency, it’s more important than ever that people act to protect the environment including going to court where necessary, and they should not have to face impossible costs in doing so.
“The Government’s pledge to enshrine the right to a healthy and safe environment in Scots law will be meaningless if it is not possible for individuals, communities and NGOs to enforce these rights in court. An overhaul of the courts to remove barriers to public interest litigation, and ensure Aarhus Convention-compliant standards of access to justice for the environment, is long overdue.”
Aedán Smith, Head of Policy & Advocacy at RSPB Scotland, said: “We continue to lose nature in Scotland and around the world and Scotland is already one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries.
“The Scottish Government has taken some welcome steps to improve matters and have committed to reverse biodiversity loss and create a ‘nature-positive’ world by 2030. However, to ensure this commitment becomes more than just warm words it is essential that concerned citizens are not prevented from challenging potential illegality in the courts.
“The Scottish Government must take urgent action to address this failing.”
Today (28 July) marks Earth Overshoot Day – the day when humanity’s demand for ecological resources exceeds what the Earth can generate that year. In Scotland, our consumption of materials is more than double our fair share of the Earth’s resources.
Scotland’s material footprint is 18 tonnes per person. Experts suggest that we can live sustainable, high quality lives with eight tonnes per person, by moving to a circular economy where materials are reused and recycled as much as possible.
The Scottish Government is currently planning a law to support the creation of a circular economy in Scotland, where materials are properly valued and cycled around our economy for longer by increasing recycling, reusing and repairing.
Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “It’s shocking and distressing that we’ve reached Earth Overshoot Day so early in the year. Scotland is not doing nearly enough to reduce our use of materials to sustainable levels. We need to make significant changes to the way we use materials – and fast.
“Right now, we have the opportunity to create a future within planetary limits with the introduction of a new circular economy law. Targets to reduce our consumption to sustainable levels must be at the heart of the new law. The Scottish Government must be bold and embed circularity throughout all of Scotland’s economic sectors and every level of government.”
Find out more about what Friends of the Earth Scotland wants to see in the circular economy law and share your views at www.act.foe.scot/circulareconomy
Environmental campaigners say bold action to limit polluting traffic is needed as a new report showing the links between air pollution and dementia is released.
The report, published yesterday (25 July 2022) by COMEAP, the UK Government’s Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, suggests the most likely way that pollution impacts cognitive impairment is through circulation. Air pollutants, particularly small particles, can affect the heart and blood vessels, including the brain.
Environmental campaigners say that the Scottish Government and local councils are not taking enough action to reduce pollution from transport and other sources. Earlier this year, research by Friends of the Earth Scotland showed that Scotland breached air quality limits in 2021 after a historic low in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s transport campaigner Gavin Thomson said: “Today’s report from the UK Government is further evidence that air pollution is devastating for human health, and it’s really worrying to see the links with dementia being strengthened.
“We have known for a long time that traffic fumes cause asthma and heart conditions, and evidence has been growing about the risk that tiny particles – from exhaust fumes, tyres and brakes – pose to our cognitive health. It is particularly dangerous for young children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing health conditions.
“Four cities in Scotland will soon have small clean air zones limiting polluting vehicles from the city centre. This is the first action we’ve seen to tackle air pollution but it’s nowhere near enough. To improve air quality in our communities and neighbourhoods, we need significant investment in public transport so that everyone can access it, while providing more space for walking, wheeling and cycling.”
Environmental campaigners have commented on the extreme weather conditions in the UK.
Friends of the Earth Scotland Head of Campaigns Mary Church said: “The extreme heat we are experiencing in Scotland, throughout the UK and Europe is one of the many frightening faces of climate change.
“We must be absolutely clear that the impacts of this heatwave on people’s health and wellbeing, on the NHS, on public transport, on the economy are the result of the continued burning of fossil fuels. Climate breakdown is here, it is deadly serious and it will get much worse unless we act urgently to end our reliance on oil and gas.
“The immediate focus should be ensuring that people are kept cool and safe through this period of record-breaking heat. But once it passes, politicians must get serious about stopping the causes of the crisis and about adapting to the increasingly extreme climate impacts that are already locked in due to our leaders’ inadequate action to date.
“Burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of climate breakdown so we must rapidly phase out North Sea oil and gas production, as part of a just transition to a renewable-powered economy with decent green jobs and affordable energy for all.
“The time for rhetorical climate leadership is long past – we need action not words and we need it now.”
Scottish Govt: caution advised in extreme heat
Amber weather warning resilience arrangements remain in place in Scotland today.
People are being asked to consider whether they need to travel and to plan ahead before making any journeys as Scotland copes with the impact of extreme heat.
Justice Secretary and lead minister for resilience Keith Brown has chaired a Scottish Government Resilience Committee meeting (SGoRR) to monitor the impacts of the Met Office Amber warning, while Transport Scotland’s resilience room is closely monitoring impacts across the transport network
The Amber warning has been extended further northeast and now includes Dundee, Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife, Perth, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and eastern parts of Lanarkshire as well as the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway. The warning is currently in force and will last until 23.59 on Tuesday 19 July.
Mr Brown also attended the latest Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR) meeting.
He said: “Following the weather warnings, our resilience arrangements have been activated. We are receiving regular updates from partners including Transport Scotland, the Met Office, the NHS and emergency services and we’ll continue to closely monitor developments.
“I would urge people to think about whether they need to travel and if they do, make sure they’re properly equipped, and plan their journey in advance. Rail passengers and drivers should make sure they have water, sunscreen, hats and sunglasses and have a fully charged phone in case of any difficulties. Any drivers who face breakdowns should seek a safe, shady place, and stay hydrated.
“When temperatures increase, it’s important to monitor forecasts and follow public health advice, including staying hydrated and drinking plenty of fluids and avoiding excess alcohol. People should also look out for vulnerable family, friends and neighbours, as older people, those with underlying conditions and those living alone may struggle to keep cool and hydrated.
“Water safety incidents and drownings increase in hot weather and it’s vital that people are aware of the dangers and use supervised beaches and pools when possible – follow the Water Safety Code and in an emergency call 999. People should also be aware of the dangers of wildfires.”
TUC: Urgent heatwave warning to union reps and workers
With the Met Office issuing its first “Red Extreme” and “danger to life” heat warning for Monday (18) and Tuesday (19), and temperatures in some places reaching 40°C, the TUC is calling on bosses to make sure workers are protected from the sun and the heat.
Workers should be aware that employers have a duty of care, and a legal obligation to protect their health, ensuring working temperatures are reasonable, comfortable and safe.
These temperatures present a serious risk of sunstroke, heat stress and sunburn. Working in hot weather can also lead to dehydration, tiredness, muscle cramps, rashes, fainting, and – in the most extreme cases – loss of consciousness.
If a colleague becomes confused or agitated, loses consciousness, or is unable to drink, seek urgent medical attention.
Outdoor work
Employers must work with union health and safety reps to introduce measures to protect their staff who work outdoors when the temperatures rise, including:
Avoiding outside tasks between 11am – 3pm when temperatures, and risks, are highest.
Provide sunscreen and advice on the need for protection, available in other languages for migrant workers where relevant.
Allow staff to take plenty of breaks and provide a supply of drinking water.
Provide canopies or covering over open areas and shaded areas for breaks.
Provide lightweight protective clothing, including hats.
Driving
The heat can be dangerous for workers whose jobs involve driving, as any driver suffering from fatigue is a risk to themselves and other people. vehicles used for long journeys should be temporarily taken out of use if they cannot sustain a reasonable temperature, e.g. they do not have air conditioning.
Indoor work
Indoor workplaces could also become dangerously hot, and TUC advice is that nobody should be working indoors where temperatures exceed 30°C. At 24°C employers must take action to cool the air, and other measures including:
Using fans or other mechanisms to cool the air, as well as adequate ventilation.
Relaxing dress codes and uniform policies.
Allowing rest breaks and adjusting shifts to avoid travelling in peak heat.
Moving workspaces away from windows and other heat sources, using blinds to block out sun.
Providing cool drinking water.
Maximum temperatures
Employers must ensure working temperatures are “reasonable”. The TUC believes employers must take action when indoor temperatures exceed 24°C, with 30°C being an absolute maximum – certainly no longer “reasonable”.
Guidance elsewhere states:
In the US regulations say working temperatures should not go beyond 24°C
Spain has strict guidelines on working temperature: it must not go beyond 27°C indoors or 25°C for physical activity.
In Germany, 26°C is generally considered the maximum for indoor work.
In China, when temperatures reach 37°C outdoor work is banned during the hottest three hours of the day, and at 40°C it must stop altogether.
In the UAE, outdoor work is banned entirely between the hours of 12:30 and 15:00 when it’s hottest.
SPF is PPE
Personal Protective Equipment is defined as “all equipment which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work and which protects him against one or more risks to his health or safety, and any addition or accessory designed to meet that objective.”
Sunburn and complications resulting from UVA radiation are a known risk to health, and outdoor workers are already three times more likely to develop skin cancer than the general working population. Sunscreen creates a barrier between the worker and the risk, and as such should be considered personal protective equipment.
Employers should provide sunscreen with a factor of at least 30, made available free of charge to all workers whose work involves outdoor activities.
Excuses such as allergies should be dismissed. Workers can be allergic to any number of ingredients, fabrics or materials used in equipment, for example hand sanitsier.
Refusal by a worker to wear PPE on that basis is valid. Refusal by the employer to supply it to the wider workforce is not.
The right to refuse
Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 provides workers protection from detriment (i.e. dismissal, disciplinary or a pay cut) if they withdraw from and to refuse to return to a workplace that is unsafe.
Workers are entitled to remain away from the workplace if – in their opinion – the prevailing circumstances represent a real risk of “serious and imminent danger” which they could not be expected to avert.
The TUC says workers should seek advice from their union before using their rights under Section 44.
Trade unions and environmental organisations are calling on the Scottish Government to show real commitment to fairly cutting climate pollution throughout the economy and to embrace the recommendations of the new Just Transition Commission’s first report published today.
The Just Transition Partnership, an initiative set up by Scottish Trades Union Congress and Friends of Earth Scotland in 2016, had called on the Scottish Government to set up the Commission.
The Partnership praised the first report of the new Just Transition Commission for its sharp focus on closing the investment gap, delivering a better deal for workers, tackling inequalities at every level and the need for a global just transition.
The report also calls for:
+ targeted investment in public transport, expanding rail networks, making services affordable and improving provision in remote and rural areas, rejecting Scottish Government proposals for cuts to the railway;
+ urgently tackling fuel poverty and “affordable clean energy [to be made] be available to all…addressing pricing barriers for renewable sources and reducing energy consumption through increased efficiency”;
+ the new National Care Service to be placed “firmly within the public sphere, with a robust public investment plan and a human rights delivery approach at the local, regional and national level”;
+ a new approach to industrial planning to address the “challenges of large-scale decarbonisation, the cost-of-living emergency and the climate emergency [and which] demand a whole system transformation”;
+ prioritising a ‘do no harm’ approach overseas, recognising that Scotland’s “position as an advanced economy was gained through the historic exploitation of fossil fuels, and indeed the natural resources of formerly colonised regions”.
STUC Deputy General Secretary Dave Moxham said: “We have long argued for a coherent low-carbon industrial strategy that creates decent unionised jobs through significant public investment and places the voice of workers at its core via trade union involvement at national and workplace level.
“This report lays out some of the important steps that the Scottish Government should take to achieve a Just Transition in areas such as energy, buildings and transport to ensure that workers and their communities are not left behind.
“The National Care Service recommendations are welcome. As with energy, we believe public ownership is best for tackling the climate and cost of living emergencies. Taking care services away from local government damages local delivery and accountability.”
Friends of Earth Scotland Head of Campaigns Mary Church said: “From investing in and expanding public transport to making clean energy available and affordable to all, this report outlines a series of clear recommendations for a transformative programme of climate action that can serve people and the planet.
“It also highlights the need for contingency plans where negative emissions technologies are relied on, a timely echo of repeated warnings on this front with the Scottish Government’s recent admission that these technologies won’t deliver for 2030.
“It’s hugely welcome that the report calls for an approach to just transition that does no harm overseas, particularly in the global south, and the duty on Scotland as a rich, historical polluter in creating an enabling environment for a global just transition through climate finance, knowledge and resource sharing.
“The Scottish Government must now take rapid action to deliver on these recommendations to plug the gaping hole in its climate plan and ensure we can hit climate targets, tackle the energy price crisis while creating new opportunities for workers and communities across the country, and paying our climate debt to the global South.”
Ministers will have an opportunity to show their commitment to a Just Transition by incorporating the report’s recommendations in the draft revised Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan which is scheduled for consultation in Autumn and in the forthcoming Climate Change Plan, expected in spring 2023.
New funding to drive innovation within the hydrogen sector and accelerate its production and storage has been launched.
The £10 million Hydrogen Innovation Scheme will provide capital support over the next four years . This aims to unlock additional private investment in the technology, and enable new companies to enter the sector.
The first round of funding will target:
projects that support the low-cost, efficient and sustainable production of renewable hydrogen
projects that support efficient hydrogen storage and distribution, both within Scotland and for export
projects that support the efficient integration of hydrogen into our energy system
The scheme is part of a Scottish Government commitment to invest £100 million in hydrogen over the course of this parliament. This is part of a wider £180 million package of investment in emerging energy technologies which will be delivered as set out in our updated Climate Change Plan.
Net Zero & Energy Secretary Michael Matheson said: “Scotland has the resources, the people and the ambition to become a world leader in hydrogen production for both domestic use and for export to Europe.
“The Scottish Government is committed to working with the energy sector to establish hydrogen as an important part of a cleaner, greener energy system, supporting a just transition for the industry both home and abroad.
“Our offshore wind resources, which will increase massively in the coming years, offer huge opportunity for the Hydrogen sector to grow. As set out in our Hydrogen Action Plan, and our clear ambition to have 5GW installed hydrogen production capacity in Scotland by 2030 and 25GW by 2045.
“We are open to the world and actively seeking opportunities to collaborate with international partners. The Hydrogen Innovation Scheme provides important, near-term investment to help the sector develop, diversify and realise it’s potential to support our transition to a net zero economy.”
Andy McDonald, Head of Low Carbon Transition at Scottish Enterprise said: “Scottish Enterprise is collaborating with Scottish Government to develop opportunities in the hydrogen sector in Scotland that will maximise the economic benefits and support energy transition.
“We share the ambition to develop Scotland as a leading hydrogen nation. Innovation is a big part of that as it is at the heart of economic development.
“It is important in an emerging sector like hydrogen that we support Scottish companies and projects now to develop new techniques and technologies which can help us to realise our future ambitions in this sector and to retain as much value and intellectual property in Scotland as possible. Scottish Enterprise is engaged with the Hydrogen Innovation Fund and supporting its implementation.”
Nigel Holmes, Chief Executive Officer of the Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association said: “The Hydrogen Innovation Scheme will help Scotland to develop our hydrogen supply chain and build the international partnerships to grow Scottish capacity and export capabilities.
“This is a great opportunity for our manufacturers, innovators, and researchers not yet involved in the hydrogen sector to establish new activities in Scotland.”
John Andresen, Hydrogen Strategic Champion at the Energy Technology Partnership said: “The Energy Technology Partnership is very pleased about the new Scottish Government’s £10 million Hydrogen Innovation Scheme which will foster national technological progress and advance home-grown innovation.
“A key funding route for the green powerhouse of Europe.”
Friends of the Earth Scotland are calling on the Scottish Government to ensure that their new £10million Hydrogen Innovation Fund will not go to companies or projects producing hydrogen from fossil fuels.
The Fund was launched as a separate new report showed 98% of global hydrogen production is from climate-damaging fossil fuels. The research revealed that carbon capture technology, which is intended to catch the pollution created by fossil fuelled hydrogen, was only 60% effective.
This means that fossil fuel-derived hydrogen will still make a huge contribution to climate change and allow companies to greenwash the oil and gas they are extracting from the North Sea.
The announcement is part of a £100million commitment by the Scottish Government to invest in hydrogen over the term of this Parliament.
The report, ‘Hydrogen’s role in Scotland’s climate journey’, which was commissioned by Friends of the Earth Scotland also exposed the inefficiencies, high costs and threat to renewable energy supplies posed by hydrogen.
Key findings from the report:
– Using green hydrogen to meet Scotland’s heating demand would require 180% more renewable energy than Scotland produces currently – 80% of current renewable energy supplies would be needed to create just 5GW of green hydrogen – Electric heat pumps can be 168-342% more efficient than hydrogen boilers – Hydrogen boilers can be 53-68% more expensive than electric heat pumps – Electric vehicles are more than twice as energy efficient than hydrogen fuel cell vehicles – Adopting green hydrogen in industry would require nearly twice as much new renewable energy capacity compared to electrification technologies
Scottish Government officials have recently admitted that so-called ‘negative emissions technology’ like CCS and hydrogen would not deliver this decade, leaving a huge gap in its plans to cut climate emissions.
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Climate Campaigner Alex Lee said: “The Scottish Government must not hand out any more public money for the development of hydrogen from oil and gas, which will produce even more climate pollution and give fossil fuel companies a chance to greenwash their dangerous plans to keep on drilling in the North Sea.
“Producing hydrogen from fossil fuels is an expensive and unnecessary way to clean up our energy system due to its reliance on dodgy technologies like carbon capture and storage which fail to work at the scale its backers claim.
“This approach is far from zero carbon and keeps us locked into the same volatile system of oil and gas which is already unaffordable for millions of people.
“The evidence clearly shows that hydrogen is either made from climate-wrecking fossil fuels or it becomes a huge drain on renewable energy supplies. Hydrogen is a high cost, low efficiency non-solution to our energy needs and the Scottish Government must urgently rethink their plans for its expansion.
“Whether it is in heating or transport, support for hydrogen looks like a losing bet when compared to direct electrification through technology like heat pumps and electric buses.
“By ending support for fossil-hydrogen and prioritising electrification over green hydrogen, the Scottish Government can better protect households from high costs and ensure renewables can clean up our energy system.”
Environmental campaigners have slammed the Scottish Government’s plan to meet climate targets after a key progress report exposed a huge shortfall in emissions reductions due to over-reliance on carbon capture and storage and other ‘Negative Emissions Technologies’ (NETs).
Ministers produced a Climate Change Plan update (CCPu) in 2020 which calculated that these technologies would be responsible for cutting almost 20% of Scottish emissions reductions by 2030, rising to an astonishing quarter of cuts as soon as 2032. These ‘NETs’ also included blue hydrogen production, bioenergy from burning biomass, both of which are reliant on CCS.
This was despite repeated warnings by Holyrood Committees and environmental experts who scrutinised the updated Climate Plan and warned that the Government must come up with a ‘Plan B’ in case the technologies failed to develop as predicted. Independent advisors at the UK Committee on Climate Change also urged the Scottish Government to develop contingency plans to meet climate targets if technologies like CCS do deliver at the rate hoped for.
The recently published Climate Change Plan Monitoring Report reveals that the Scottish Government now accepts that NETs cannot deliver “at the pace assumed in the CCPu.”
The Report cites the lack of commitment by commercial operators to employ NETs models, the de-prioritisation of Scottish sites in the UK Government framework for supporting NETs, and the lack of availability of sustainable home-grown supply of biomass in coming to this conclusion, despite the Scottish Government offering handouts of tens of millions of pounds in their Emerging Energy Fund.
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Climate Campaigner Alex Lee said: “The Scottish Government has accepted at last that its faith in carbon capture and storage and hydrogen was wildly misplaced.
“Ministers ignored repeated warnings about relying on these technologies which have a track record of over-promising and under-delivering, and now there is a gaping hole in the plan to meet climate targets.
“The Government must now go back to the drawing board and come up with a credible plan to make up for this vast shortfall, which amounts to a whopping quarter of emissions cuts in only ten years time. Instead of throwing more money at fantasy techno-fixes, they should be ramping up support for reliable renewable power and energy efficiency measures which we know can deliver in the short term.
“By the end of this decade, Scotland must have made real progress in a transformational plan that phases out fossil fuel extraction and use, while ensuring a just transition for workers and communities currently dependent on the industry.”
Environmental campaigners are demanding that the Scottish Government rethink their commitment to hydrogen technologies after a new report exposed their inefficiencies, soaring costs and the threat posed to renewable energy supplies.
The report, ‘Hydrogen’s role in Scotland’s climate journey’, commissioned by Friends of the Earth Scotland found that 98% of global hydrogen production is from fossil fuels.
Fossil fuel-derived ‘blue’ hydrogen is made using carbon capture and storage (CCS) but this technology was revealed to only be 60% effective, meaning huge amounts of climate changing pollution is released, critically undermining the key argument made by its proponents. Blue hydrogen is dependent on CCS technology that is in its infancy in Europe and has repeatedly failed to get off the ground in the UK.
The research showed that ‘green’ hydrogen, whilst lower carbon than fossil fuel derived hydrogen, has serious drawbacks such as the enormous levels of renewable energy required to produce it. If Scotland’s 2030 target was to be met by green hydrogen, it would require 80% of the country’s entire renewable energy supply – enough electricity for over 6 million homes.
Using hydrogen for heating our homes was found to be more expensive and less efficient than direct electrification through technologies like heat pumps. Similarly, powering transport with renewable energy directly is already much more efficient, cheaper, and more advanced commercially than deploying hydrogen in transport.
The campaigners are now calling on the Scottish Government to end any further public funding to hydrogen produced from fossil fuels, and to prioritise electrification over hydrogen in crucial areas such as heating and transport.
The report as Scottish Government officials admitted that so called ‘negative emissions technology’ like CCS and hydrogen would not deliver this decade, leaving a huge gap in its plans to cut climate emissions.
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Climate Campaigner Alex Lee said: “This research must change the conversation around the role of hydrogen in Scotland’s climate efforts. The evidence clearly shows that hydrogen is either made from climate-wrecking fossil fuels or it becomes a huge drain on renewable energy supplies.
“The Scottish Government must end their support for the development of hydrogen from fossil fuels, which will only produce yet more climate pollution and give fossil fuel companies a chance to greenwash their image whilst they keep drilling new fields in the North Sea.
“Hydrogen from renewables is a high cost, low efficiency solution to our energy needs and the Scottish Government must urgently rethink their plans for its expansion. Whether it is in heating or transport, support for hydrogen looks like a losing bet when compared to direct electrification through technology like heat pumps and electric buses.
“By prioritising electrification over green hydrogen, the Scottish Government can better protect households from high costs and ensure renewables can clean up our energy system.”
Key findings from the report:
– 98% of the global hydrogen production is from fossil fuels
– Using green hydrogen to meet Scotland’s heating demand would require 180% more renewable energy than Scotland produces currently
– 80% of current renewable energy supplies would be needed to create just 5GW of green hydrogen
– Electric heat pumps may be 168-342% more efficient than hydrogen boilers
– Hydrogen boilers may be 53-68% more expensive than electric heat pumps
– Electric vehicles are more than twice as energy efficient than hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
– Adopting green hydrogen in industry would require nearly twice as much new renewable energy capacity compared to electrification technologies.
The Circular Economy Minister has set out the action that will be taken to deliver on the recommendations of an independent review of the role of incineration.
In a Ministerial Statement to parliament, she confirmed that the Scottish Government has accepted all twelve recommendations, including Dr Church’s recommendation that no further planning permission for incineration facilities should be granted.
New national planning policy will be introduced through National Planning Framework 4, which will be presented to the Scottish Parliament for approval later this year. This policy will make clear that the Scottish Government does not support the development of further municipal waste incineration capacity in Scotland, with very limited exceptions.
In the meantime, a notification direction will remain in place, requiring local authorities to alert Scottish Ministers of new planning applications that involve incineration facilities. A similar notification direction was used previously, and successfully, to give the effect of a moratorium on Unconventional Oil and Gas.
Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said: “Reducing waste and recycling what we do produce is key to tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity and ensuring we all enjoy a healthy environment. That’s why we are taking action to create a circular economy, in which materials are kept in use for as long as possible and precious natural resources are not wasted.
“We also need to make sure we manage unavoidable and unrecyclable waste in the short term. By putting in place sensible measures to limit and gradually reduce Scotland’s incineration capacity, we can make sure we can manage our waste today, while ensuring our future waste infrastructure aligns with our climate targets.
“I look forward to working with local authorities and industry to take forward these recommendations.”
Environmental campaigners have welcomed the Scottish Government’s commitment to ban new incinerators as an important step forwards and urged Ministers to next tackle the impact of existing incinerators.
Kim Pratt, Friends of the Earth Scotland Circular Economy Campaigner said: “The Scottish Government’s ban on new incinerators is very welcome news and must mark the beginning of the end for these polluting projects that keep us locked into sending valuable resources up in smoke.
“It is vital the Scottish Government acts now to tackle the impact of our existing incinerators, given their huge climate pollution. Reducing the amount of plastic waste burnt is the only viable option for cutting emissions from existing plants. Carbon Capture and Storage is completely unsuitable for incineration as it is technically challenging, extremely expensive and locks us into a polluting system.
“Scotland will have more capacity than there is waste to burn by 2027 because of those plants already in the pipeline. Incinerator investors and operators now have a choice to buy into a circular economy for Scotland or to burn away that future.”
Friends of the Earth Scotland also warned that the approval last week by West Dunbartonshire Council of an application for a waste plastic-to-hydrogen plant, which could be ; “n incinerator in all but name, risks the development escaping the new ban through a loophole.
Kim Pratt concluded: “We are deeply concerned about the approval of a new waste plastic-to-hydrogen plant, which is an incinerator in all but name, by West Dunbartonshire Council.
“The decision, which has come despite the introduction of the ban on new incinerators, undermines the current approach. The Scottish Government must urgently review the boundaries of the ban to ensure it is being applied fully and effectively.”
To find out more read the Friends of the Earth Scotland response to the Incineration Review:
