Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 18 November 2020
18 Nov 2020 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Declaration of a Nature Emergency
I was going to start off by saying that I was grateful to the Greens for lodging their motion and to everyone for their passionate contributions, but it is a shame that a lot of those contributions completely altered the tone of the debate. That was especially the case with Andy Wightman’s comments. I will not bother repeating them, but I absolute refute them. They showed a complete lack of understanding of how we have to work in government in a responsible way.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-23383, in the name of Mark Ruskell, on declaration of a nature emergency. 16:00
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Green
Today, I will move my motion to declare a nature emergency in Scotland and commit to an emergency response, reversing the decline and restoring nature to its...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Opening for the Government is the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, who joins us remotely. 16:06
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (Roseanna Cunningham)
SNP
Internationally, a new global biodiversity framework is being developed, and Scotland is adopting a leadership role in contributing to that process. The new ...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I am grateful to the Greens for bringing this debate to Parliament, first because it is all too easy in these pandemic days to ignore the other huge issues o...
Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I thank Mark Ruskell for raising this important issue for debate. Biodiversity is far more important to our country than many people might realise. It underp...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I remind all members that speeches should be of four minutes. Mr McArthur joins us remotely. 16:22
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
Our planet is on the brink of irreparable damage, and Parliament recognised that in declaring the climate emergency. The Scottish Liberal Democrats agree tha...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Thank you for your good timekeeping, Mr McArthur. 16:25
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
Green
The Government’s amendment would remove the call from the Scottish Greens for the Parliament to declare a nature emergency. In the amendment, the Government ...
Annabelle Ewing (Cowdenbeath) (SNP)
SNP
Our environment is a subject that is close to the hearts not only of people who live in rural Scotland but of those who live in urban Scotland, including man...
Maurice Golden (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
The danger that Scotland’s wildlife faces is summed up in what is arguably the most important line in today’s motion: “one in nine species” is “threatened...
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
SNP
Many of those farmers benefit from LEADER funding. Does the member know what the UK Government will replace LEADER funding with?
Maurice Golden
Con
The UK Government has been quite clear that it plans to ensure that the funding relating to Europe continues and that processes will be more streamlined, so ...
Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
I very much welcome the chance to debate our nature emergency, but I must say that I am surprised and disappointed that the Scottish Government proposes to d...
Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Green)
Green
The decline of species, habitats and biodiversity in Scotland is due to a multitude of factors, but human impacts through land use, pollution and habitat des...
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
SNP
As we have seen from the First Minister’s declaration of a climate emergency, making a bold statement can galvanise policy and indicate commitment to the cou...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
We move to closing speeches. 16:50
Alex Rowley (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
I am pleased to close for Labour in this important debate on the declaration of a nature emergency. Our amendment calls for the urgent provision of a robust...
Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Con
Much of my speech repeats and reinforces speeches that have already been made, but I make no apology for that, given the importance of the topic. Scotland h...
The Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment (Mairi Gougeon)
SNP
I was going to start off by saying that I was grateful to the Greens for lodging their motion and to everyone for their passionate contributions, but it is a...
Maurice Golden
Con
Does the minister agree that ending driven grouse moor management would lead to a decimation of the rural economy and therefore actually threaten biodiversity?
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
I think that the member might have referenced this in his speech, but we published research on grouse moors just last week. We will be issuing our response t...
Mark Ruskell
Green
I thank members for their engagement in the debate and for their rapid and strongly emotional contributions on supporting our environment and wanting to decl...
Annabelle Ewing
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Mark Ruskell
Green
No. I do not have time. At the moment, the salmon farming industry is threatened with a market ban on exports to the United States, which should be somethin...