Climate Change and Future Government Action

At the Arran hustings on 26^th June her response to the question about making it easier for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to be made by the community was that The Labour Party have a Green prosperity plan, they will create Great British Energy, a new, publicly-owned clean energy company in Scotland and a National wealth fund and that Dale Vince is endorsing Labour.

1     This is current Scottish Conservative and Unionist and UK Government policy. I support that commitment towards a target of 1.5ºC

2     I have always supported active travel initiatives, in the correct place, and I will continue to do so. It is Scottish Conservative and Unionist policy to work alongside the transportation industry to help them decarbonise, support growth, and support sustainable aviation fuel. However, as we have seen with the Glen Sannox the drive towards a greener fuel delivery system has caused untold issues, delays, and adds to global climate emissions due to overreliance on international suppliers of gas.

3     it is Scottish Conservative and Unionist policy to support locally sourced and sustainable food. I will do everything I can to promote local suppliers and encourage the uptake in locally sourced food. We will also introduce a 60/60 target to ensure that local authorities are sourcing 60% of their food within 60miles. This will help to support local food producers and we will deliver this through public sector procurement.

4     It is current Scottish Conservative and Unionist policy to ensure that the people best placed to make decisions about energy efficiency and renewable projects are the community in which they sit. As a local councillor I have always backed the local community in their decision on these projects. For example, I backed the community objection to the solar farm on Cumbrae as there was little community engagement, no community benefit, and it was proposed in the wrong location. Renewable projects should not be at the expense of vital greenspaces and should be agreed by the community that these are the types of developments they want in their communities.

It is current Scottish Conservative and Unionist policy to support carbon emission reductions. However, I personally believe that this should not be at an astronomical cost to businesses, charities, or individuals. Therefore, work is needed to ensure that sufficient support is provided to ensure that carbon emission reductions and net zero targets can realistically be achieved.

Tackling the climate emergency is one of four key priorities of the SNP’s Scottish Government, which was also the first government in the world to declare a climate emergency and first developed nation to commit funding to address climate loss and damage. The determination of the SNP and Scottish Government to battle climate change has seen Scotland outpace the UK in reducing emissions and become a renewable energy powerhouse, with almost 88% of electricity generation coming from zero or low carbon sources in 2022. Unlike the SNP, both Labour and the Tories backtracked on their climate ambitions as the UK Government reneged on its commitment to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, meanwhile Labour has completely u-turned on their £28billion green investment plan which was described as ‘economically illiterate and environmentally irresponsible’ by the party’s former climate change spokesperson.

I and my SNP colleagues will continue challenging the UK Government to make firm commitments to tackling climate change, and demand it invests at least £28bn a year in the green economy which will help enable a just transition in both the public and private sector that will benefit the taxpayer by protecting jobs, reducing energy bills and supporting the green economy.

ACTIVE TRAVEL AND DECARBONISATION: I will also fully support and advocate for creating more opportunities for people to access and engage in sustainable travel choices. The Scottish Government is set to continue transforming the active travel infrastructure model by funding new walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure across Scotland and since 2010 the SNP Government’s ‘Community Links and Places for Everyone’ programme has delivered approximately 455 miles of walking and cycling paths in Scotland.

In terms of decarbonisation, the SNP has called on the UK Government to accelerate its targets to eliminate carbon emission and Scotland currently has some of the strongest emissions targets in the world, with a net zero target of 2045. Of course, people living in the Highlands and Islands, such as the Isle of Arran, are more reliant than the rest of the country on aviation and ferry travel, two of the most environmentally harmful forms of transport. This is why I and the SNP understand that decarbonisation must come alongside systemic change to ensure island and highland communities are not left shortchanged in the pursuit of lowering emissions and this is something I will continue to push for if re-elected as MP.

LOCALLY SOURCED FOOD: Food security and locally sourced food has been a priority for the SNP and Scottish Government since before the pandemic, as has making the most of Scotland’s fantastic food and drink. Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy and easily access food and drink produced locally, which is why the SNP Government is using its limited devolved powers to prevent the number of families relying on food aid from increasing. Alongside the Scottish Good Food Act, the Scottish Government also launched its new local food strategy ‘Local Food for Everyone’ this year, which aims to connect people with local food, connect local producers with buyers, and harnessing public sector procurement. I applaud the work being done locally on Arran by Eco Savvy and, if re-elected, would be keen to come and speak to you about this in more detail and how I can further support your work.

I and my SNP colleagues have carried these values with us to Westminster, where I have actively pressed the UK Government to act on the soaring use of food banks across the UK brought about by its years of austerity and indifference to the struggles faced by too many people.    I hope to continue pushing for improving food security and supporting locally sourced food, as I have done for many years.

RENEWABLES: The SNP strongly advocates for improving energy efficiency and the delivery of renewable energy, evidenced by the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) which encourages local and community ownership of renewable energy projects. The aim of CARES is to help maximise the benefits of community-owned and commercial renewable energy systems and there is currently a network of CARES Development Officers across Scotland that can provide free expert and impartial advice to charities and community groups looking to explore renewable energy options. This is an approach that should be adopted across the UK and something or which I will advocate, if I am re-elected, as will my SNP colleagues.

2.  Part of our plan is to build a modern zero carbon transport system, with investment in public transport and infrastructure for walking, cycling & wheeling. Powers over aviation and cross border travel are reserved for Westminster, and we would look for more powers to borrow to invest in low carbon transport infrastructure. We would want to tax flying so that rail travel would always be cheaper. We would bring all public transport into public ownership to ensure the services work for the people who use them. We would work towards establishing more fuel-efficient ferries.

3.  To increase uptake of locally sourced and sustainable foods, we would cap the price of food essentials during peaks of inflation, protect our food standards and farmer’s prices by blocking the import of food products that are produced to lower environmental standards and that are readily available on the island and we would incentivise grocers and supermarkets buying local products as much as possible.

4.  The Scottish Greens have a 5-point-plan to achieve 100% renewable energy: phase out fossil fuels, nationalise and invest in the grid, enhance support for renewable energy, electrify heat and transport & end support for new nuclear power stations. Nationalising and investing in the grid is important because it was designed to take energy to cities and towns, and since privatisation has been operated to maximise profit. We recognise that more investment is needed in islands, rural and remote areas to enable us to localise energy generation, bringing together a network of local, national, and international energy grids to support local and micro-generation with lower costs. We would love to see Arran produce and benefit from renewable energy via solar, wind or tidal. Some social housing on the island has already received improved insulation, solar panels and battery heating, and we would like to see that rolled out.

5. Moving to renewable energy will do a lot to help businesses, charities, and individuals to reduce their carbon emissions and reach net zero, as will a modern zero carbon transport system. In addition to this we would introduce a £28bn Green New Deal investment programme to turbo charge our green industries. We would provide subsidies and tax benefits for uptake of green technologies, including energy efficiency retrofits & renewables.

Finally, you asked me to describe any actions I’ve taken in the last five years that demonstrate leadership on improving the environment. My answer to that is that I’ve stepped up as the Scottish Greens candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran. I feel strongly that we need bold action to tackle the climate crisis and eradicate poverty. I am a mum, and I want a better future for our children. Like many of the people I’ve spoken to on the doorstep, I could not bring myself to vote for another party at this election, so I stepped up as a Scottish Greens candidate. Even if I am not successful in this election, if I am successful in winning your vote that will show the successful candidate that people care about the environment, and about poverty.