8 September 2009
Emissions from transport sector still going in the wrong direction
Transform Scotland [1] today (Tuesday 8th) welcomed the news that Scottish greenhouse gas emissions had fallen [2] but cautioned that there was no chance of meeting climate change targets while emissions from the transport sector continued to rise. The Scottish Government had reported that whilst overall emissions had fallen by 6.8% between 2006 and 2007, emissions from the transport sector had risen by 1% during that same period. [3]
Colin Howden, Director of Transform Scotland, said:
"Transport is the basket case of climate change policy. It is the second largest sector for emissions after heat, and it is the sector where we are still going in the wrong direction.
"The transport sector on its own already generates more emissions that the whole of Scotland can emit under the 2050 target set out in the Scottish Climate Change Act [4] – so it's not realistic to think that emissions from transport can be allowed to rise and that other sectors can make up the gap.
"The Government knows what measures it needs to put in place to reduce emissions from the transport sector. It published excellent research less than a fortnight ago which lays out the cost-effective ways in which emissions can be reduced. [5] However, investment and political priority for these measures – demand management, investment in active travel and Smarter Choices, and cutting speed limits – remains small and stunted, while over £2,000 million can be found to build a traffic-generating Second Forth Road Bridge.
"It is about time that the MSPs in the Scottish Parliament held the Government to account over its transport spending priorities as, with a few honourable exceptions, they have so far completely failed to do so."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
[1] Transform Scotland is the national sustainable transport alliance, bringing together rail, bus and shipping operators, local authorities, national environment and conservation groups, businesses and local transport groups - see <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/our-members.aspx> for details.
[2] See Scottish Government news release 'Progress made on emissions' - <http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/09/08100039>
[3] See <http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/09/07145629/1> for full details.
[4] In 2006, the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) reported total Scottish transport emissions of 15001 tCO2e – while the 2050 target will require emissions from all Scottish activity to be below 14000 tCO2e (20% of 1990 baseline of 70002 tCO2e).
[5] Scottish Government (2009) 'Mitigating Transport's Climate Change Impact in Scotland: Assessment of Policy Options' - available at <http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/08/26141950/11>.
[6] Transform Scotland is a member of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS), an alliance of development, environment and civil society groups aiming for tougher action to reduce emissions - <http://stopclimatechaosscotland.org/scotland>. SCCS is organising The Wave, a climate change march in Glasgow on the 5th December 2009.
END OF NEWS RELEASE