Committee
Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee 18 June 2019
18 Jun 2019 · S5 · Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee
Item of business
Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
The amendments in this group are a set; they are designed to improve our approach to climate change in the context of international development. They are supported by the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, which helped to design them, and, more broadly, by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland. Amendment 108 would add to the target-setting criteria international development, and in particular the ability of other nations to meet sustainable development goals. There is clearly value in such an approach, which would not be onerous to apply. The Paris agreement is, of course, a global agreement, which successfully brought together developed and developing countries for action on climate change, and its implementation will require constant collaboration between developed and developing countries. Therefore, if the bill is truly to enshrine Paris, it is vital that it includes a requirement to consider the impacts on developing countries of targets that are set in future. We have an historic responsibility to consider the challenges that are faced by developing countries, which, it is recognised, did so much less to contribute to the climate change challenge. Given that context, I very much hope that members will support amendment 108. Amendment 127 would add a reference to developing countries’ efforts on climate reduction, in the context of the climate change plan’s requirement to explain how it will compensate for excess emissions. It is important that we focus our minds on where the effects are likely to be experienced disproportionately. The 2009 act includes provision for Government support for climate change adaptation in Scotland, which is a vital part of addressing climate change, because holding global temperature increases even to 1.5°C will require adaptation. However, the 2009 act does not include commitments to support adaptation internationally or to help countries to develop low-carbon and net zero economies. The Scottish Government provides climate finance, through its well-recognised climate justice fund. However, that is a Parliament-to-Parliament approach. Such an important contribution to global efforts to tackle climate change should be in legislation, to prevent a future Government from easily reneging on commitments. Amendments to the 2009 act are required to protect an important contribution to climate finance and ensure that money is spent appropriately. Amendment 128 would include in the bill a commitment to supporting developing countries with adaptation and mitigation through the transfer of “expertise and technology”. Articles 10 and 11 of the Paris agreement set out the requirement for developed countries to support developing countries through the sharing of technology and expertise and through capacity building. The bill was introduced to implement in Scottish law the Paris agreement, and amendment 128 seeks to enshrine in the bill a specific aspect of the agreement. At present, the 2009 act contains no provisions on how Scotland will support global efforts to challenge climate change, with the exception of the emissions reduction targets and the commitment that those are to be set in line with the “fair and safe” principles set out by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Amendment 128 is needed to enshrine the whole of the Paris agreement in law and to formalise the requirement for developed countries to support developing countries with regard to climate change adaptation and mitigation. For the world to achieve its ambitions of limiting warming to well below 2°C and to pursue efforts to reach 1.5°C, it is vital that all countries work together and collaborate. The Scottish Government has considerable expertise in and knowledge of climate change adaptation and mitigation, and Scotland has a world-renowned renewable energy sector. As a result, amendment 128 seeks to ensure that the Scottish Government would, over the years, commit to continuing to share its technology and expertise with developing countries to help them tackle the climate emergency. Amendment 129 seeks to enshrine the principle of policy coherence with regard to sustainable development, because the application of the principle in the climate change plan will help ensure that Scotland responds to the climate crisis with other countries in mind. The bill is uniquely global, and the amendment attempts to reflect that. With its devolved powers, Scotland has been able to make a significant contribution to tackling the climate emergency beyond our borders, and the amendment reflects the important role that devolved Administrations can play in this global issue by ensuring that policies are written in line with UN commitments such as the sustainable development goals. Amendment 152 refers specifically to the need for Scottish ministers to recognise Scotland’s global responsibility “in relation to ... international climate change adaptation in line with international best practice”, while amendment 153 highlights the need to “have regard to ... the ability of other countries to achieve global commitments on climate change”. The approach serves as a marker and, indeed, a valuable tool for focusing attention on the implications of a range of our actions as a developed nation. The fact that many—though not all—of us are high consumers frequently has implications for where in the world we source materials and products and how we manufacture things. Finally, amendment 153 sets an expectation on relevant persons in the exercise of functions in relation to “the ability of other countries to achieve sustainable development”. As members will no doubt know, there is a well-recognised definition of sustainable development in common usage that comes from the Brundtland commission report. I believe that this set of amendments will indeed place Scotland at the forefront of excellent practice in international development and climate change action as we progress towards net zero emissions in a globally just way. The amendments will single us out and clearly signal to the world an important way in which developed nations can send a clear, straightforward and positive message to others of our like, and I hope that members will support them. I move amendment 108.
In the same item of business
The Convener
SNP
Item 2 is consideration of amendments to the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill at stage 2. I welcome members who are joining us t...
The Convener
SNP
Amendment 91, in the name of Claudia Beamish, is grouped with amendments 104, 93, 103 and 50.
Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the convener at the start of a long and important process. My amendments in the group are deeply significant in that they will ensure that Parliamen...
Maurice Golden (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
The purpose of amendment 104 is to ensure that, in the interests of transparency, the bill sets out clear objectives with regard to the functions to be exerc...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
Amendment 50, in my name, is perhaps the simplest amendment that we will consider today. Although it is being debated as part of the first group, it will be ...
Claudia Beamish
Lab
Will the member give way?
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Let me say a little bit more, and then I will give way.
Claudia Beamish
Lab
It is just to clarify—
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Just a tiny wee second. I just want to point out that section 41 of the 2008 act, which relates to the powers to give guidance, says: “The national authorit...
Claudia Beamish
Lab
I would like clarification. Was the reference to the proposed new subsection a reference to “ensuring domestic policies and strategies do not undermine inte...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
My position, which can be challenged, is a much more general one. It is that the Scottish Parliament simply does not have the power to mandate what the UK Co...
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Green
I want to make a few comments about the amendments in the group. It is important to realise that the bill is not only about reducing greenhouse gas emissions...
The Convener
SNP
Claudia Beamish will be able to address those points when she winds up. I call the cabinet secretary.
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (Roseanna Cunningham)
SNP
I am sympathetic to Claudia Beamish’s amendments in the group, and I acknowledge her consistently strong voice on the matter. The Scottish Government is supp...
Claudia Beamish
Lab
This has been a helpful debate, but I say to the cabinet secretary that this is not about good intentions; it is important that climate justice principles ar...
The Convener
SNP
Amendment 1 is grouped with amendments 1B, 2, 3, 105, 4 to 6, 92, 39, 7 to 13, 13B, 14 to 20, 40, 41, 21, 42, 22, 23, 43, 24, 44, 25, 26, 45, 27, 28, 28A, 29...
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
Following the special report last year from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the impact of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial level...
The Convener
SNP
I call Mark Ruskell to move amendment 1B and to speak to all amendments in the group.
Mark Ruskell
Green
Thanks. How long have I got? It is an emergency, isn’t it?
The Convener
SNP
Five minutes.
Mark Ruskell
Green
Great. I am sure that I will not need all that. Amendment 1B is an amendment to amendment 1, in the name of the cabinet secretary. I accept the broad thrust...
Maurice Golden
Con
The intention of amendment 105 was purely to provide increased clarity on the definition of “net-zero”. However, having listened to what the cabinet secretar...
Claudia Beamish
Lab
I support amendment 1, which seeks to set a target of 2045 for reaching net zero, and the cabinet secretary’s consequential amendments. My amendment 92 seek...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
It is probably important that I put something on the record right now as a matter of principle: we should simply not change dates or percentages when that pu...
Mark Ruskell
Green
Will the member take an intervention?
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
I will, if that is permitted.
The Convener
SNP
Mark Ruskell will have a chance to wind up, so I would like him to park his comments for now. Another member wants to speak to the amendments.
Mark Ruskell
Green
I did not realise that I will have a chance to wind up.
The Convener
SNP
You will. Mr Stevenson, have you finished?
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Yes.