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Scotland at climate 'crossroads' | |
(about 17 hours later) | |
Ministers have called for public views on their plans to tackle climate change with an 80% cut in emissions by 2050. | |
Finance Secretary John Swinney said the country had reached a "crossroads" on deciding in what state to leave the planet to future generations. | |
Meanwhile, the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) group produced a list of measures to address the issue. | |
The government aims to bring forward legislation to parliament on its green proposals before the end of the year. | |
In the meantime, the plans - to be contained in Scotland's first Climate Change Bill - have been released for public consultation. | |
We need to see clear legal duties for ministers, which parliament can hold them to each year Patrick HarvieGreen MSP | |
The measures also include annual monitoring on progress towards the 80% target and publishing independent advice on reducing emissions. | |
Mr Swinney said: "The actions we take today can bring clear and tangible benefits to Scotland now and in the future. | |
"Moving towards a low carbon economy can create new jobs and improve local environments as part of our drive to generate sustainable economic growth." | |
The SCCS, an umbrella group for more than 30 organisations, including Friends of the Earth Scotland and the Church of Scotland, said Scotland had the chance to become a "global leader" in the fight against climate change. | |
Chairman Mike Robinson said: "It is essential that we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by at least 3% every year, and this must be done in a sustainable way that respects our environment." | |
READ THE CONSULTATION PAPER class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/29_01_08_climate.pdf">Climate change consultation [28KB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader href="http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html">Download the reader here | |
Green MSP Patrick Harvie, who said the 80% cut was a good start, argued that the government was not going far enough and warned that combating climate change meant more than "tinkering" with policies. | |
"We need to see clear legal duties for ministers, which parliament can hold them to each year, and the right long-term targets," he said. | |
Scottish and Southern Energy chief executive, Ian Marchant, said it was time to turn rhetoric into reality, adding: "As businessmen and women we know it is challenging to grow our businesses and reduce greenhouse gas emissions but we are determined to do exactly that." | |
Maf Smith, director of the Sustainable Development Commission Scotland, accused governments across the world of shying away from taking action on climate change. | |
"The Scottish Government must be commended for its intention to lead the way for other countries," he said. | |
The government consultation will run until 23 April. |
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