Climate Change and Energy
- Climate change and energy are priorities for sustainable development and is an issue that is galvanising action across Scottish local authorities. All of Scotland's 32 local authorities are now signatories of Scotland's Climate Change Declaration, in an act of political unity with the Scottish Executive.
- Download Scotland's Climate Change Declaration.
- Climate Change and energy use have significant impacts on, and can be influenced by, local government. A direct role in energy matters may seem novel for local authorities in Scotland, though they played a major part in initiating municipal gas and electricity production prior to nationalisation.
- Most energy is used in the construction and use of buildings, and in transport. Local authorities influence energy production through their planning and purchasing policies; and they influence its use through the choice of fuels, and energy management and efficiency. There may be potential for renewable energy, combined heat and power, and district heating, in urban areas; if so, experience from elsewhere in Northern Europe is that local authority involvement will be crucial. Councils are the key agency in tackling fuel poverty.
- In seeking to mitigate climate change, councils should set out to manage and reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions; they also influence energy use (and therefore emissions) throughout their areas through transport and planning policies, and building control. It is also important to acknowledge that climate change is taking place, increasing the probability of extreme weather events. This requires a programme of adaptation, and strengthens the need, amongst other matters, for flood prevention and emergency planning measures.
Link to Case Study: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar & Taigh Blath TEAS
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| Paths to Improvement include: | Policy | Being Implemented | Outcomes |
| Is there an climate change and energy strategy and action plan, setting the framework for improving energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation), and taking steps to respond to likely future climate change impacts (adaptation)? | |||
| Is there a Greenhouse Gas or Carbon Management Programme in place to manage and implement cost-effective measures to reduce greenhouse gas / CO2 emissions produced directly by the Council's buildings and transport? | |||
| Are improvements in the housing stock being secured through implementation of the Home Energy Conservation Act (HECA) or other energy saving initiatives? | |||
| Is there a strategy to eliminate fuel poverty, with available resources targeted on vulnerable households? | |||
| Is progress being made on the Warm Deal and Central Heating Programmes, and reflected in improved NHERs (National Home Energy Ratings)? | |||
| Do planning policies and decisions take explicit account of the need to address climate change mitigation and adaptation? | |||
| Are there planning policies to reduce energy use, through the location, massing, form, orientation and landscaping of development? | |||
| Are policies for transport also directed to reduce energy use and emissions? | |||
| Do planning policies and economic development encourage development and implementation of community energy projects, micro-generation and low carbon or carbon neutral, projects? Does monitoring aim to ensure success can be replicated and lessons learned? | |||
| Do flood risk assessment and emergency planning take full account of climate change; and are resources allocated, and hard and soft engineering works implemented, to prepare for the risks? | |||
| Is action being taken to raise awareness of climate change and the need for mitigation and adaptation, within the Council, with community plan partners and the wider public? | |||
| Are there 'citizen support' systems in place, in conjunction with community planning partners including the NHS and emergency services, to minimise the adverse effects of severe weather events, including flooding, storms and land-slips? | |||
| See also Green Jobs, Renewables and opportunities from climate change adaptation (under economic development) |