Philip Wright

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Changing our Ways Executive action on climate
change
Philip Wright Head of Climate Change and Air,
ERAD
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Ice Core /Temp
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Global Temperature record
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CO2 levels 20,000 years
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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

• The Physical Science Basis of Climate Change
  (February 2007). Concluded - now indisputable
  evidence that human activities since 1750 have
  warmed the climate.
• Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (March
  2007) Report shows for first time that rising
  temperatures caused by human induced climate
  change over the last 30 years have already had an
  impact on people and the environment. In the 21st
  century climate change will have significant
  impacts for the natural environment and human
  society.
• Mitigation (April 2007)
• There is a significant economic potential for
  cost-effective mitigation of greenhouse gas
  emissions from all economic sectors over the
  coming decades, sufficient to offset growth of
  global emissions or to reduce emissions below
  current levels. Mitigation efforts over the next
  two to three decades will determine to a large
  extent the long-term global mean temperature
  increase and the corresponding climate change
  impacts that can be avoided.

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Impacts of climate change on Scotland

• Handbook of Climate Trends (2006)
• Over last 60 years
• - Temperatures risen
• - Rainfall increased dramatically in winter
  months
• Climate Change scenarios
• UK Climate Impacts Programme. Future for
  Scotland
• more extreme weather with warmer, wetter winters,
  
• up to 90 less snowfall,
• sea levels rises of up to 600mm threatening
  coastal areas
• and an increased risk of flooding.

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Scotland the leader
Scotland has a leadership role to play Political
Technological Moral
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Playing our part
Kyoto UK Climate Change Programme UK
Climate Change Bill
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UK Climate Change Bill

• Four pillars-
• To set statutory target to reduce carbon
  emissions by 60 by 2050, to introduce 5-year
  carbon budgets as milestones towards target and
  to provide for carbon credits purchased on the
  international market to count towards the target.
• To establish a Committee on Climate Change with a
  UK remit to advise Government on reduction of
  emissions.
• To create enabling powers to put in place new
  emissions trading schemes.
• To improve monitoring arrangements and reporting
  to Parliament.

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Scotlands Climate Change Programme
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Scottish Climate Change Programme
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Scotlands Climate Change Programme
Ambitious Mitigation and adaptation Sector
level Evolving Action for all
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Action for all

• This is not just a job for central Government.
• Everyone must accept responsibility and
  contribute to changing our ways' if more
  sustainable patterns of behaviour are to be
  adopted.

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Mainstreaming
Senior Managers Policy Makers big wins Analysts
Scientists All staff
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• SNP Manifesto Commitments
• Scottish Climate Change Bill - 3 carbon
  reductions per annum setting long term commitment
  to to cut emissions by 80 by 2050
• Improving energy efficiency
• Sustainable flood management
• Proposed EU wide green energy research centre in
  Aberdeen
• Support development of CCS
• Develop offshore generation capacity and promote
  growing of energy crops

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• STRATEGIC RESEARCH NEEDS
• Measuring Scottish Consumption of Carbon
• A Scottish Green House Gas Inventory?
• Consequences for carbon emission of land use
  change
• Environmental and carbon consequence of
• renewables (biomass, wind and wave and tidal
  energy)
• Gaps identified by Agriculture and Climate Change
  stakeholders group
• Specific needs in Forestry

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• SOME KEY QUESTIONS
• What will a low-carbon economy look like, what
  does it mean for the land use and other sectors.
  How do we transition towards it and what impact
  will that transition have on our existing systems
  and industries?
• At what scale should we focus attention and
  resources for delivery of outcomes of a
  well-adapted, low-carbon economy Scotland the
  field/the farm/the landscape? Can we scale up
  what works at local level regionally or
  nationally?
• How much longer will we or can we wait before we
  take the difficult decisions on sustaining our
  natural resources and consequently over what
  time scale should we be expecting commissioned
  research to deliver?
• Should flood protection schemes continue to be
  developed or should we change how we manage water
  upstream through sustainable flood management?
• How do we balance the need to adapt to both local
  and global consequence of tackling and adapting
  to climate change

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The maps of the world will need to be redrawn
Sir David King UK Science Advisor
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British Isles !
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Changing our ways www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechan
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