Sustainable Scotland

It is one of Scotland’s largest employers with over 3,600 employees on its books and services 2.46 million households across the country while its operation supplies 1.34 billion litres of drinking water each day.

We spoke to Gordon Reid, General Manager Zero Emissions at Scottish Water, in our Sustainable Scotland podcast, about his organisation’s journey to net zero and the lessons learned so far.

The podcast also heard from David Reay who is the Executive Director at the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute at the University of Edinburgh about how best to effect change within organisations.

Gordon said: “We are already seeing the impact of climate change on rainfall patterns which can lead to greater risk of drought but also intense rainfall which can lead to flooding.

“We developed a 25 year strategy for the business where delivering net zero emissions is one of our three key ambitions.

“We are applying United Nations guidelines on reaching net zero  and are working to decarbonise our activities as much as possible then sustainably sequestering those emissions that we cannot reduce”

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One of the world’s leading experts on green finance says COP26 could become the defining moment for turning commitments from global leaders into tangible action over climate change.

James Close, Head of Climate Change at Nat West Group, insists Scotland’s legacy can be assured by convincing major polluters and governments to make historic strides in tackling the emergency.

He predicts that the “power of finance” will play an increasingly important role in ensuring nations really do “step up” before it is too late.

Speaking to The Scotsman’s Sustainable Scotland podcast, he warned: “I don’t this there’s any choice.”

He added: “We all have to step up. This is the decisive decade and the window for dealing with climate change is closing very, very rapidly.

“I don’t like to be an alarmist about a lot of these things, but we are seeing the weather patterns change quite considerably.

“It was 34 degrees up in the Arctic a couple of weeks ago when it was unseasonably cold here in the UK, and that’s because the Gulf Stream is weakening, and the low pressure sits over Europe and the hot air goes up and over into the Arctic.

“There’s no way we can ignore these effects and we have to be really focused on what we can do and what we can achieve, and we have to drive the agenda as quickly and efficiently as we can.”

He believes the end results during negotiations in Glasgow could transpire to be even more ambitious than those of even Paris.

And Close, who previously held a similar position for World Bank during negotiations for the Paris Accord, says there is now real opportunity in the transition from oil and gas to low carbon solutions.

He said: “Very much top of our mind is how do we finance this transition and how do we support the transition, particularly in the North Sea, it is a very real challenge for the Scottish economy.

“But it is amazing to see how energy services businesses that were servicing offshore oil and gas platforms can quickly develop the capabilities and propositions that support offshore wind installation or servicing.

“The power of entrepreneurship and the ability of successful businesses to reinvent themselves as they see the market opportunities, is what I think gives me confidence that we’ll be able to manage that.”

“We need to send those long-term signals so that people can prepare for it, and I think that’s going to be particularly important in energy efficiency and retrofitting homes and housing.

“You want a supply chain that knows there is going to be a high level of demand there for many years.

“They can then invest not just in the infrastructure and kit and equipment that they need, but also in the capabilities, the learning and know how that’s going to be really important to support people making that transition and driving towards that lower carbon future.”

He also believes early adopters have a huge role to play in shifting mindsets, along with incentives and requirements.

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The sale of petrol vehicles will be banned from 2030 meaning that all vehicles will be powered by electricity or another renewable source of energy.

In this episode of Sustainable Scotland, we look at the benefits of owning an electric vehicle (EV) in terms of cost and charging points and also explore how an EV can sell electricity back into the grid.

We explore how EVs are key to Scotland reaching its net zero target and why Scotland, it could be argued, is the best place to own one in the UK.

Elinor Chalmers, director at Electric Vehicle Association Scotland, said:

“Scotland is the best place in the UK to own an electric vehicle.

“We have a comprehensive charge point network and there are also interest-free loans available to purchase new electric cars.

“We also have a very green grid meaning you are more than likely to be charging power that comes from renewable sources.”

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Scotland can become a major exporter of renewable power as part of its transition away from oil and gas, according to the UK head of Europe’s largest generator of green energy.

Statkraft UK’s Head of Business & Project Development Richard Mardon said the UK has already reached the ‘tipping point’ in its need to move away from fossil fuels.

Speaking on The Scotsman’s Sustainable Scotland podcast about the industry’s future he hailed Scotland’s skilled workforce, along with supportive government policies, as key to unlocking its potential as a global leader for renewables.

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Are we now at a turning point in our attitudes towards climate change and are our intentions now shifting into actions?

In the first episode in The Scotsman’s Sustainable Scotland podcast series, journalist Shaun Milne is joined by Iagan MacNeil, Head of Policy at Smart Energy GB and Frazer Scott, Chief Executive Officer, Energy Action Scotland, to discuss the results of a recent survey of Scotland's attitudes towards the issue.

Sustainable Scotland will focus on the people and organisations that are moving the dial towards making Scotland a more sustainable country to live in.

This episode is part of a paid partnership between The Scotsman and Smart Energy GB.

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