| Aims of the Policy |
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| What is the purpose of the policy (or the changes made to the policy)? | The Scottish Government is committed to Scotland playing its part in the international effort to reduce the impact of climate change – and thereby address the global inequalities which climate change will inflict on the most vulnerable countries and communities across the world. In support of this, the Scottish Government has committed to reduce targeted greenhouse gas emissions from sources in Scotland by 80% by 2050. In order to ensure this and future administrations take the necessary action to achieve a reduction of 80% by 2050, the Scottish Government will introduce a Scottish Climate Change Bill: this will introduce a framework which will ensure Government takes immediate and sustained action to reduce emissions over the next 40 years. Scotland will also continue to contribute to UK emission reduction targets, agreed as part of wider International and European emission reduction frameworks, as well as the UK Climate Change Bill.
[Note:- where appropriate, given the global nature of climate change, a distinction will be drawn as between the global policy effort and Scotland’s national policy effort.]
It should also be noted that, in addition to the overarching framework to ensure these reduction occur, certain measures which will enable Scottish Ministers to reduce emissions will also be included in the Bill. These include muirburn, energy efficiency, improving the energy performance of existing non-domestic buildings, waste management, and the forestry sector. These have been consulted on separately. However, where applicable, they have been included in this EQIA which will be updated if it is deemed necessary. Additional EQIAs have been undertaken on issues such as energy efficiency. |
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| Who is affected by the policy or who is intended to benefit from the proposed policy and how? | Each individual, whether in a private or public capacity, could potentially be affected by the global policy under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and by national policy - and could potentially benefit from these policies to a greater or lesser degree.
Action taken to ensure Scotland’s targeted greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 80% by 2050 will potentially have profound effects on individuals, businesses and other organisations. The action taken to meet the requirements placed on Government by the Bill could help to move Scotland down the pathway towards a low-carbon economy, with implications for the employment opportunities of individuals. It will potentially necessitate reductions in emissions across all sectors including transport, energy production, waste management housing, and agriculture. The Bill will also potentially drive forward action which will change lifestyle choices. The potential impacts of these future policies will vary greatly across sectors and communities.
In addition, the benefits of mitigating climate change through global policy, of which Scotland’s policy is just one part, are large. Climate change could result in numerous severe impacts, including drought and famine, severe weather, and flooding. These risks increase not just at the global level, but also in Scotland, as temperatures rise. Climate change mitigation globally will reduce the risks for Scotland and the world.
The Bill will include provisions to support climate change adaptation (adapting to the impacts of climate change which are unavoidable). Adaptation measures will also potentially impact on people’s lives through, for example, changes in infrastructure. Adaptation measures will reduce the risks associated with climate change largely bringing direct benefits for Scottish society as a whole and for individuals. |
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| How has the policy been, or will be put into practice, and who is or will be responsible for delivering it? | The first stage of the national policy has been to develop and consult on proposals for a Scottish Climate Change Bill. Discussions with key stakeholders informed the development of this consultation. There was a widely-publicised full public consultation, consisting of a written document (published on the Government’s website and available as hard copy) and four consultation events held to engage directly with stakeholders. The information gained from the consultation was considered and a Bill was drafted for introduction into the Scottish Parliament before the end of 2008. It should be noted, however, that the Bill will contain certain measures on climate change which were not included in this consultation, notably on muirburn, energy efficiency, improving the energy performance of existing non-domestic buildings, waste management, and the forestry estate. These issues have been or are being consulted on separately.
The second stage will consist of the implementation of individual policies to reach the 80% target in 2050. These policies will be implemented over the years up until 2050. It is these national policy measures which will affect people. The areas most likely to be affected by these policies include, housing, energy (production and use), waste management, transport and the wider economy. The Scottish Government will be responsible for delivering the initial policies with a variety of agencies and bodies responsible for implementing them now and in the future.
The framework introduced by the Bill will include provisions for independent (and publicly available) advice to be provided to Scottish Government. As part of this advice, there will be a requirement to state how conclusions were reached, particularly on which factors the advice is based on, and the potential policies available for Government to implement. |
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| How does the policy fit into the Scottish Executive's wider or related policy initiatives? | This national policy fits into the wider objectives of the Scottish Government, particularly Wealthier and Fairer, Greener and Healthier. It sits inside the framework of the Government Economic Strategy, supports Strategic Outcome Agreements with local authorities, and is in line with a wide variety of policies which impact on emissions of greenhouse gases or policies which the impacts of climate change will affect.
Policies or measures which are already in place to help achieve the Bill’s emission reduction target and are most relevant to people and equalities issues include:
• Energy Efficiency and Microgeneration: A Strategy for Scotland
• Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative
• Building regulations (business)
• Increasing recycling rates
• Building Regulation Scotland 2007 (households)
• Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (households, business and public sector);
• Energy Efficiency Commitment
• Scottish Housing Quality Standard
• Scottish Government Fuel Poverty Programmes
• Reduced VAT on energy saving materials
• Home Energy Conservation Act
• Smart Metering
• Energy Performance Certificates
• Fuel Duty Escalator
• Graduated Vehicle Excise Duty
• Emissions reduction policies in Scotland’s National Transport Strategy
• The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
In addition, EQIAs have been completed or will be on the following related issues:
• Action on Climate Change: Improving the Energy Performance of Existing Non-domestic Buildings
• Energy Efficiency
• Strategic Housing Investment Framework
• Flood Risk Management Bill
• Recommendations of the Fuel Poverty Forum on the future of the Scottish Fuel Poverty Programmes (EQIA underway)
• Smarter Choices (transport) programme (EQIA underway)
There is a wide range of possible individual policy measures which this and future administrations may implement to meet the target. The candidate measures most relevant to this impact assessment include, but are not limited to (please note this does not imply Government support for any of these initiatives):
• Increase in renewable microgeneration
• Building regulations to require less carbon in refurbished commercial buildings
• Ban on disposal of biodegradable waste in landfill by 2040, with concomitant increase in re-use, recycling and recovery
• Reduction in CO2 emissions in new housing
• Further measures to improve insulation of existing buildings
• Road pricing with emissions element
• Tightened passenger car CO2 limits
• Encourage uptake of low emission vehicles (existing and new technologies – HGVs, bus, rail, cars, LGVs)
• ‘Smarter Choices’ (transport) modal shift to public transport and active travel |
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| Have the resources for the policy been allocated? | No |
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