The Scottish Government's independent advisory body on sustainable development
Consistent Emissions Reporting Workshop
SDC Scotland, Improvement Service (IS), Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN) and WWF Scotland held a workshop in March 2008 which bought together key climate change policy makers and mitigation tools providers to work on the journey to Consistent Emissions Inventory and Reporting for Scottish Local Authorities.
The event was chaired by Professor Jan Bebbington, Vice-Chair of the Sustainable Development Commission.
Background
The Scottish Government has indicated that it expects local authorities to have a better understanding of their estate and area-wide emissions. The policy framework includes:
• The Scottish Climate Change Declaration
• Scottish Climate Change Bill consultation (target reduce emissions by 80% by 2050)
• Scottish Government target: reduce emissions over the period to 2011
• Scottish Government National Outcome: reduce the local and global environmental impact of our consumption and production
• Single Outcome Agreements and the National Performance Framework include indicators on reducing Scotland’s Ecological Footprint.
Local authorities are working to meet these new expectations, but they require tools and data to monitor emissions consistently and comparably across all 32 councils.
In November 2007, SNIFFER published a database of climate change mitigation and adaptation tools for local authorities to use to carry out their commitments in Scotland’s Climate Change Declaration. This research identified a basket of leading tools for mitigation. Many Scottish local authorities are using more than one of these leading tools, and they are seeking clarity on how these tools and their data sources compare and complement each other.
Workshop aims
1. To bring together tool providers and data modelling experts to explore issues relating to data sources, compatibility and comparability
2. To understand how these tools can help all 32 local authorities develop comparable targets and indicators to measure direct and indirect emissions.
The output of the workshop is written guidance for local authorities on the leading mitigation tools, an explanation of their data sources and what each measures, and a route map to using an agreed suite of tools in combination.
Presentations
Setting the Scene:
Local Authorities implementing the Scottish Climate Change Declaration
• George Tarvit, Development Manager SSN and Chair SLACCP
• Bob Christie, Improvement Service
• Stuart Nichol, Executive Director Environment and Development Services, Fife Council
Tool Providers
• Dr. John Barret, Stockholm Environment Institute
• Justin Goodwin, AEA Technologies
• Dr. Sebastian Carney, Tyndall Centre & Manchester University
• John Stocks, Carbon Trust Scotland
More Information
Link to the Sustainable Development Commission's work on Climate Change
Further Links
Improvement Service
Sustainable Scotland Network
WWF Scotland
