Scottish Government

CHAPTER 7 - A GREENER SCOTLAND

1. Scotland's environment is unique and irreplaceable. While it supports our health and wellbeing, it also underpins much of Scotland's wealth creation. That includes tourism and exports, especially from our food and drink industry where the quality and provenance of production are essential advantages. However, the economic value of our environment goes much further than that: our natural assets are an immense resource for the whole of Scotland's economy. It is our responsibility to protect and enhance our environment for future generations and to ensure our natural resources are deployed in support of our economy in a sustainable way.

2. Our vision is for a greener Scotland, which is low carbon and zero waste. A Scotland where future prosperity rests not in depleting finite resources but in conserving and promoting the valuable assets that make Scotland an outstanding destination for visitors and investment. We are also committed to redeploying expertise and strengthening communities to develop economic opportunities based on our rich renewable resources.

3. Our policy for rural development is built on making sustainable use of Scotland's natural resources, on community empowerment and on improving connectivity in our rural areas. Food production is of course a key economic activity in rural Scotland. Our strong support for primary producers, who are themselves dependent on the quality and reputation of our natural resources, helps ensure a supply of raw materials for our increasingly successful food and drink sector.

Supporting the rural and marine economy

4. Our rural and marine industries make a key contribution to the economy. 20% of Scotland's population live in rural areas and it has been estimated that rural regions account for over 25% of gross value added to the Scottish economy. Scotland's core marine sector alone is estimated to contribute £3.6 billion (excluding oil and gas).

5. The wider food and drink supply chain, much of which is directly dependent on produce from rural and maritime areas, is estimated to be worth close to £10 billion. Over the last 4 years our core strategy has been to support the rural communities and agriculture that supply the food and drink industry. Through the Rural Priorities element of the Scotland Rural Development Programme we have provided £450 million to some 5,650 projects since 2008, committing some £147 million of that to around 1,800 projects in 2010.

6. We have distributed payments of £500 million to around 20,000 farmers and crofters under the Single Farm Payment Scheme. Through the Scottish Beef Calf Scheme we have invested £22 million in quality beef production, especially in environmentally sensitive areas. Scotland has been officially free of Bovine TB since September 2009 and we are continuing to work hard to preserve that status. We regained our free status for the ruminant disease Bluetongue in July 2011. We have committed £2.4 million to over 100 innovative forestry projects within the Central Scotland Green Network. We have also supported the seafisheries, aquaculture and fish processing sectors with an excess of £50 million assistance awarded through the European Fisheries Fund.

7. Over the next few years we will continue to support these industries including:

• negotiating a fair share of Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP) funding for Scotland for the period 2014-2020;
• working with industry partners on a new animal health strategy that fits the distinctive circumstances of our livestock sector, including the industry-led programme to control bovine viral diarrhoea;
• continuing to bring forestry and farming interests together - achieving our forestry targets while safeguarding food production;
• implementing the new integrated approach to marine planning and management provided for in the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 by developing a national marine plan and MPA network by the end of 2012. We will also introduce regional marine planning;
• supporting and protecting our iconic wild salmon and freshwater fisheries and aquaculture sectors through continued partnership working in modernising management and delivering improvements; and
• actively shaping radical reform of the Common Fisheries Policy to ensure that we can effectively enhance the viability of the Scottish fishing fleet through sustainable fisheries management which is no longer micro-managed from Brussels.

Climate change and renewables

8. Over the last Parliamentary session we made sure that Climate Change was at the heart of everything we did. We passed ambitious Climate Change legislation, and now, alongside the draft Budget, we include an assessment of the carbon impact of our proposed expenditure. Over the last 4 years we have worked hard to reduce emissions and to protect and enhance our natural and built environment. Scotland is already more than halfway to meeting our 2020 target of a 42% reduction in emissions. Key achievements include:

• continuing to deliver the hugely successful Climate Challenge Fund. This initiative has empowered 345 communities across Scotland to take forward their own solutions to make a significant reduction in carbon emissions. We have published an independent review of the first 3 years of the scheme's successful operation;
• our Zero Waste Scotland business resource efficiency service. This has helped more than 800 Scottish business to reduce their waste and resource consumption in 2010;
• working together with the farming sector, other land managers and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency ( SEPA). We have made significant progress in managing diffuse pollution issues in 14 priority water catchment areas. The related Water Environment Restoration Fund also provided funding for around 80 projects to address adverse impacts on the water environment resulting from past human activities; and
• introducing new energy standards in October 2010. The standards are expected to deliver a 30% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from new buildings when compared to 2007 standards.

9. Scotland is now uniquely placed to become a world leader in building a low-carbon future and reaping significant economic and community benefits as a result. The path to a low-carbon Scotland is mapped out by our ambitious annual emissions reductions targets. These are now in place to 2022 and will shortly be in place for every year until 2027. Our targets provide certainty for long-term investment in the technology and changes required to build a greener, more sustainable, low carbon Scotland.

10. Throughout the next Parliamentary session we will continue to drive action to achieve our ambitious emissions targets. In addition to the activity outlined in Chapter 3 to drive forward low carbon activity, we are committed to taking forward the commitments made in our Manifesto, which include: working to a 70% target for recycled waste and a maximum of 5% to be sent to be landfill by 2025; taking forward proposals for a rural Parliament; and driving forward action for the Scottish Parliament to take on responsibility for the Crown Estate Commissioners so that the resources generated in Scotland can be used to support the development of the offshore renewable sector and in time be re-invested in Scotland's communities.

11. We have raised the renewable energy electricity target to 100% by 2020, in line with our belief that Scotland can be environmentally sustainable. Our Renewables Routemap sets out the collective actions necessary to meet our enhanced renewables targets. We will continue to support renewable generation schemes at a community level through the CARES Loan Fund. As set out in Chapter 8, collaboration and partnership is at the heart of our approach to government and we will continue to deliver the Climate Challenge Fund with an enhanced level of funding of £10.3 million in 2011-12. We will be supporting 130 communities and developing a Junior Climate Change Fund, underlining our commitment to community-led action on climate change.

Energy efficiency

12. Addressing climate change requires us not only to reduce our energy consumption but also to use the remainder of our supply as efficiently as possible. The Scottish Government has taken a range of measures to drive progress in this area:

• we have invested around £60m since 2007-08 to fund the Carbon Trust and EST to help business, public sector and households to reduce carbon emissions and improve business efficiency;
• we worked with the CERT Strategy Board to redesign our domestic energy efficiency and fuel poverty programmes to maximise uptake of CERT. CERT - subsidised professionally installed cavity wall and loft insulation installations - went up by over 15,000 in Scotland to over 93,000 measures in CERT year two (2009-10); and
• we published the Energy Efficiency Action Plan Conserve and Save in October 2010. This includes an ambitious headline target to reduce final energy consumption by 12% by 2020. The Action Plan sets out a framework for our comprehensive approach to energy efficiency and microgeneration. We will publish our first annual report on progress by October 2011.

13. We are committed to continuing to drive forward action on energy efficiency and will continue to explore options for improving energy efficiency of existing non-domestic building stock through a working group. We intend to develop regulations for 2012.

Minimising waste

14. The Zero Waste Plan sets out our vision for a zero waste Scotland where waste is treated as a valuable resource and not as an unwanted burden. In a zero waste society resources are used efficiently and most waste is recycled into valuable resources and products, leaving only limited amounts for residual waste treatment, including energy recovery. This is about reducing Scotland's demand for finite resources and with it our global environmental impact. We have already set two new targets that will apply to all waste: a 70% target for recycling; and a maximum of 5% of waste to be sent to landfill, both by 2025.

15. Over the next Parliamentary session we will take forward statutory measures to transform how Scotland views and manages its waste including: new requirements to separate and collect recyclable materials; restrictions on the inputs to thermal treatment facilities; and a ban on biodegradable wastes going to landfill. We will also take forward our commitment to introduce a waste prevention programme that will help Scotland to make best use of its resources. Through Zero Waste Scotland, we will continue to support local authorities, industry and the public in making the changes needed to deliver our aspirations for a truly zero waste society.