Meeting of the Parliament 20 January 2016
We have welcomed the initiative, which provides a valuable contribution to the on-going challenge of tackling climate change and building a low-carbon economy in Scotland, and we will be interested in the outcomes of the consultation exercise that is currently being undertaken.
WWF has acknowledged the Scottish Government’s achievements in areas such as renewables, but we recognise the need for a comprehensive approach to a low-carbon infrastructure and we continue to develop our understanding of Scotland’s long-term infrastructure requirements in that regard. We recognise that investment in low-carbon infrastructure can not only help us to deliver on our climate change targets but make economic sense and drive growth, which is why, as I said, the refreshed infrastructure investment plan makes energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority and commits us to multiyear funding to deliver economic benefits to homes and businesses.
We have plans to highlight other areas of expenditure that support low-carbon projects, to help us to achieve our climate change targets. Such areas include low-carbon transport initiatives, with investment in cleaner technologies such as electric vehicles; active travel, by encouraging walking and cycling; street lighting replacement programmes; and, in relation to the Scotland’s schools for the future programme and national health service boards, investment in more energy-efficient school buildings and healthcare facilities, which will use more renewables technologies and help to minimise energy consumption.