Tag: targets

A brighter future for every child

Driving progress on child poverty as legislation to be reviewed

The type of targets used to measure the impact on child poverty will be reviewed to ensure continued progress in improving families’ lives.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said the Scottish Government will begin the review this summer in consultation with children and families, charities and public bodies.

The announcement came during an update to the Scottish Parliament on progress towards eradicating child poverty. It is estimated that Scottish Government policies in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, published in March, will keep around 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year. 

Ms Somerville said: “Our defining mission is to eradicate child poverty and we are unwavering in that commitment. The review will help to make sure the targets set in our legislation are accounting for all efforts across government in ending child poverty.

“We have made a great deal of progress since the Act was passed in 2017, within the devolved powers we have, including introducing the game-changing Scottish Child Payment, and are making huge strides in cutting everyday costs for families. We must now bring together wider interventions such as our childcare package and free bus travel.

“Against a cost-of-living crisis, continued Westminster austerity, and a volatile international situation, the Scottish Government invested over £3.1 billion in support targeted at low-income households last year, with spend benefiting children rising to almost £1.5 billion, enabling ongoing investment in key policies.”

Child poverty campaigners have responded to Thursday’s (18th June) Scottish Government Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan – Annual Progress Report and her announcement of a review of child poverty targets.

 John Dickie, Director of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland, said: “Very real progress has been made on child poverty in Scotland recently, but the Cabinet Secretary’s focus today on reviewing targets rather than strengthening her child poverty plan is hugely concerning.  Struggling families need a stronger plan, not a review of targets. 

“It is vital that Ministers come forward with a revised child poverty plan. The current plan rightly focusses on boosting income from employment and social security and cutting the costs families face, but the scale and detail of action falls far short of what’s needed. A revised plan must demonstrably set out how further year-on-year progress will be made. For the one in five of Scotland’s children still locked in poverty there is no time to lose.”

Mr. Dickie continued: “Plans to increase the Scottish child payment for babies under one are a positive step but they won’t kick in for over a year and will still leave the vast majority of children without any additional financial support.

The promise of more breakfast clubs, after school and holiday activities and further childcare expansion will all be welcomed by families, but don’t yet add up to the scale of intervention needed to make serious further progress.”

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland sent a proposed Programme for Government to every member of the Scottish Parliament ahead of todays Ministerial Statement. The group’s proposal include:

  • Extending the planned increase to Scottish child payment for babies (to £40 a week) to all eligible children, as a step toward doubling its value to at least £55 per week by 2030.
  • Commencing outstanding provisions of the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2025 to enable gaps in Scottish child payment entitlement to be addressed, and to ensure the payment provides greater security for families whose earnings from work fluctuate by, for example, introducing a 12-week ‘run on’.
  • Ensuring high-quality school aged childcare is available to all parents during term time and school holidays.
  • Subsidising providers to deliver short periods of free childcare to help families when support for childcare costs from universal credit is not available
  • Using public procurement and public body wage setting powers to drive improvements in the quality of work.
  • Investing in the provision of affordable social housing, to ensure all children live in safe, secure and affordable homes; and
  • Funding every school to fully remove cost pressures from families, and overcome poverty-related barriers to learning through expansion of free school meals, extension of school clothing grants, provision of devices and connectivity, and funding access to ‘rite of passage’ residentials and school trips.

Mr Dickie continued: “There is no question that budget pressures and long-term fiscal sustainability pose a real challenge for the Scottish government.

“That is why it is more important than ever to reduce the long-term costs that poverty imposes on our public services and economy.

“Each and every public sector reform and tax and spending decision must be designed to contribute to child poverty reduction.”

Child Poverty Progress Update

Friends of the Earth Scotland: Let’s show we’re serious about change

CAMPAIGNERS CALL FOR TARGETS TO LIMIT CONSUMPTION

Campaigners call for targets on consumption as the Scottish Government announces it will launch a consultation into a new Circular Economy Bill in May.

The Scottish Government has said that one of the measures included in the Circular Economy Bill is a ban on the destruction of unsold goods.

Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said “The Circular Economy Bill is Scotland’s chance to reduce the over-consumption of materials which is killing our planet.

“The Scottish Government can send a clear signal to all sectors in Scotland, and across the world, that we are serious about the system-level change required to create a circular economy. To do this, we need strong targets which measure, for the first time, the global impact of Scotland’s material consumption.

“We consumed 18 tonnes of materials per person per year in Scotland in 2017. Creating a circular economy, with sustainable levels of material use and which also meets high quality living standards for everyone could reduce this to eight tonnes.

“The Circular Economy Bill should include targets to reduce consumption and the means to create an independent advisory body, similar to the Climate Change Committee, to advise the Scottish Government on progress.

“The recent ban on single use plastic items should be extended to cover all single use items. A Circular Economy Business Standard should be introduced and the public sector should be required to use this new standard in all its procurement, encouraging new sustainable business models to flourish.

“Government should estimate the critical material use of policies, in addition to current requirements to measure carbon impact.”

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.

The Netherlands has set a target to move to a full circular economy by 2050, with an interim objective of a 50% reduction in the primary raw materials (minerals, fossil fuels and metals) by 2030. In 2021, the European Parliament voted to create binding, science based targets for material use and consumption footprint.

Incineration contracts stopping Scots from recycling, says FoE Scotland

New research shows that Scotland’s incineration capacity is so high that it is likely to stop councils from recycling waste. Campaigners are calling for a ban on new incinerators so that councils focus on reducing and recycling waste, rather than sending it up in smoke.

The Scottish Government set up an independent review into incineration which is currently taking place. As part of this, the reviewers have researched whether existing and planned incineration capacity matches Scotland’s projected waste levels.

It shows that if Scotland meets its recycling targets, by next year we will already have more incineration capacity than we need. Even if we make no progress towards these targets, there will still be overcapacity by 2026.

The 2025 ban on sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill means councils have had to find some other way to dispose of waste. Rather than attempting to reduce the waste through recycling and other measures, councils have signed up to expensive and lengthy incineration contracts.

It is now emerging that the amount of waste councils have agreed to supply is greater than the waste available. This means to fulfil their contracts, councils must supply huge amounts of waste to be burnt, instead of focusing on reducing and recycling.

Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:
“The Scottish Government has unwittingly created the perfect conditions for waste management companies to make as much money as possible from keeping Scotland’s waste levels high. The ban on biodegradable waste to landfill means councils have sought alternative waste management solutions in a hurry.

“Councils have panicked and signed up to contracts that now create a conflict of interests. They are faced with choosing between helping residents reduce and recycle their waste and fulfilling the incineration contracts. Through a lack of strategic thinking, the Government and councils have ensured Scotland’s recycling targets are now much harder to achieve.

“It’s vital we stop burning our valuable resources if we are to bring down the consumption levels that are wrecking the planet. We need to see an end to new incinerators being built in Scotland, and an immediate ban on burning plastics.”

This overcapacity problem is evident at a local level, as well as a national one. Three councils in the North East of Scotland, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray Councils, have signed a joint contract to build and supply a privately run incinerator. The NESS Energy Project is due to start operating later this year.

The incinerator has been built to take 150,000 tonnes of waste. The Environmental Statement for the project shows this was based on the amount of residual waste generated from the councils in 2016 when planning permission was granted.

However, data from SEPA shows that, even before the plant has opened, there will not be enough household residual waste to supply the plant. The 20-year contracts mean these councils will be looking for more material to burn, rather than supporting residents to reduce and recycle waste.

Scotland is now burning almost as much of its household waste as it is sending to landfill. Household waste statistics published in December show a 33.6% increase in waste being incinerated between 2019 and 2020 – that’s an extra 152,000 tonnes burnt in one year.

As well as burning valuable resources, incinerators contribute to climate change by emitting greenhouse gases from the waste they burn.

To find out more visit: www.foe.scot/campaign/plastic-pollution/incineration/

INEOS FPS At Grangemouth rolls out AI to reduce emissions

  • INEOS FPS has committed to reduce emissions from its operations to Net Zero by 2045
  • INEOS has already made progress, with emissions reductions of 37% since it acquired the site in 2005
  • The deployment of innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology will further reduce emissions from its operations, demonstrating the company’s commitment to meeting UK/ Scottish Government targets

INEOS FPS has announced plans to deploy innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven optimisation technology at its Kinneil Terminal in Grangemouth that will deliver further carbon emissions reductions from its operations.

The decision follows the announcement of INEOS’ commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its operations in Grangemouth by more than 60% by 2030 as it targets Net Zero by 2045. 

As part of its road map, the business is already making significant investments in emissions reduction projects at Grangemouth and deploying AI technology at Kinneil is another tool that will enable it to achieve the next phase of the transition to Net Zero.

Working with data analytics experts, OPEX Group, INEOS FPS will deploy the firm’s emissions.AI software, which optimises complex industrial facilities to deliver lower carbon emissions.

A real benefit emissions.AI will bring to INEOS’ systems is the way the tool calculates lowest achievable emissions; learning from the information received from hundreds of data points across our processes and always looking for what can be done better.

We believe that once the new software is fully integrated there is the potential to identify up to a 10% reduction in existing emissions – with further opportunities thereafter.

Opex Group’s emissions.AI software is leading edge technology. It will continuously monitor energy use across the Kinneil Terminal to pinpoint opportunities to minimise fuel and power consumption and further optimise plant operations. As well as having access to real time emissions data in greater detail the software will allow INEOS FPS’ operational teams to know when and where to optimise processes and plant for lower emissions.

Andrew Gardner, Chief Executive at INEOS FPS commented; “The installation of the emissions.AI software takes energy management to a new level, that will lead to significant CO2 savings.

“We are committed to delivering our roadmap to net zero and see technology as a key enabler to achieving our decarbonisation goals. Across our organisation we are embedding a culture of carbon awareness, including as part of daily operations. AI will assist our teams in unlocking immediate operational emissions savings by making emissions data instantly available to them.”

Chris Ayres, Chief Customer Officer at OPEX said: “We are delighted to support INEOS in their drive to reduce carbon emissions. Turning existing operational data into actionable emissions intelligence will give INEOS FPS’ teams access to the information they need to drive faster and better informed operational decisions, and get after day-to-day emissions savings opportunities.

“Data holds the key to empowering operations teams to contribute to decarbonisation targets. To gain a much deeper understanding of the emissions profile of their assets and identify the actions they can take to make a difference, today.”