Nicola Sturgeon must commit to rapidly insulating homes and expanding free public transport to retain credibility in the fight to curb emissions, according to campaigners.
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland – a coalition of respected aid charities and public service organisations, including Oxfam, Sciaf and Unison – said the first minister is facing a “crucial credibility test” ahead of hosting an international conference in Edinburgh on climate-induced loss and damage.
Sturgeon will open the two-day conference on Tuesday with global climate experts, representatives of states and regions, and investors. We reported last week how a landmark report published by the coalition urged ministers to escalate action to curb emissions here and to ease the impact of climate change in the countries worst affected.
Becky Kenton-Lake, of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, said new investment to secure the rapid insulation of homes and expanding free public transport would simultaneously help address the climate and cost of living crises, and should be paid for by the biggest polluters.
She said: “The first minister has shown leadership on the need for rich, high-polluting nations to commit financial support to communities facing devastating losses and damages because of the climate crisis.
“However, by hosting these talks, the Scottish Government faces a crucial credibility test, and it must show it is also willing to walk the walk by investing more in climate action in Scotland, financed in ways that make polluters pay.
“We’re nearly three years into this critical decade of climate action and, after a damaging hat-trick of missed emissions targets, Scotland must urgently build on the pandemic-related dip by significantly accelerating investment.
“It would be incoherent for Scotland to show this global leadership on addressing loss and damage created by the climate crisis whilst at the same time creating yet more of it due to our own emissions.”
Professor Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh, who will be speaking at the conference in Edinburgh, said: “This conference demonstrates the Scottish Government remains committed to standing in solidarity with communities facing devastating climate impacts and it’s an example that all rich, high-polluting nations must now emulate at Cop27.
“We need the governments of these nations to ensure they are doing everything possible to reduce their emissions, and the way they raise and spend money is a critical lever to drive that change. Scotland should demonstrate that it is willing to take the next step and raise significant new revenues to invest in faster climate action at home, while also financing its welcome contributions to climate justice internationally.
“The world badly needs climate leaders, and now is the time for the Scottish Government not just to speak, but also to act at scale and speed.”
Mike Robinson, chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, said: “None of us can afford further delay, least of all those losing their lives, homes and livelihoods due to increasingly severe and frequent extreme weather, whether communities facing devastating floods in Pakistan, the millions facing hunger across East Africa, and beyond.”
At Cop26 in Glasgow, the Scottish government became the first in the world to dedicate funding – £2 million – to addressing loss and damage from climate change in developing countries.
The government said: “We aim to capture lessons learned from delivering against loss and damage, demonstrate good practice, and provide a template that can be used at scale.
“That’s why it’s so important that the upcoming conference on loss and damage, hosted by the Scottish Government with the UN High Level Champions and attended by international climate activists furthers conversation around the immediate need to ensure separate, dedicated financial support to act on the catastrophic effects of climate change, and how to use Cop27 to ensure global action goes further, faster.
“At home, Scotland has legislated for some of the world’s most ambitious climate change targets and we will be a net zero nation by 2045. We will be publishing a draft updated Climate Change Plan next year, setting out policies to make further progress to our 2045 net zero target.”
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