June 25th, 2020 by vhairi
A blog by Helen Todd, Campaigns and Policy Manager for Ramblers Scotland and former LINK Chair.
Sitting at home at my laptop in Edinburgh during lockdown, I’ve often found my mind wandering to some of my favourite places in Scotland. What’s it like on top of the Cairngorms right now? Are eagles noticing the lack of walkers?
It’s perhaps disconcerting for all of us who love Scotland’s wildlife and outdoors, to realise that nature doesn’t really need us to thrive. In fact, sadly the planet might be a lot better off without us.
However, as people, we need nature.
It’s not just about the air, water and soil we need to survive, but our environment is the context for our lives, from the raw materials which provide our food, medicines and goods, to the natural systems which protect and nurture us, like the bees and insects which pollinate our crops.
But humans are also a part of nature and we need to be in natural places. The Covid-19 lockdown has been hard for many of us, but it’s also highlighted how important it is for us to be able to get into green places. We gain huge benefits for our health and wellbeing from being outdoors, whether in urban parks and woodlands or in the great landscapes of mountains, lochs, coastal scenery and forests which Scotland is famous for, with their intrinsic value for our culture and sense of place.
During the strict lockdown period, the Scottish Government explicitly allowed outdoor exercise and our world-class access rights to continue, recognising these benefits. Even before coronavirus, physical inactivity was found to contribute to more than 2,500 premature deaths each year, costing NHS Scotland around £94.1 million annually. For mental health, being active in the natural environment brings particular benefits, with a 30% reduction in the risk of depression achievable.
You just have to compare the experience of a sun-dappled bike ride in your local woodland to the same distance covered indoors on an exercise bike. It’s like comparing a walk in an old commercial forest plantation to one in an ancient woodland – both may both soak up carbon, but native woodlands bring added value both for biodiversity and enjoyment.
Nature is not just important for our wellbeing. Money spent while getting outdoors for recreation is a vital part of Scotland’s economy, especially in rural areas. Scottish residents contribute approximately £2.6 billion each year through recreation and these activities play a valuable role in supporting sustainable tourism. VisitScotland estimates that walking tourism alone is worth £1.26 billion to the economy annually, supporting jobs in cafés, B&Bs and shops, as well as ranger services, path builders, outdoor instructors and many other small businesses.
Many LINK organisations help to engage people with the outdoors. This includes landowning bodies like RSPB, Scottish Wildlife Trust, National Trust for Scotland, Woodland Trust and the John Muir Trust, or the valuable role played by countryside rangers in bringing Scotland’s nature to life for generations of schoolchildren and adults alike. Add to this the energy of thousands of volunteers harnessed by LINK members in vital conservation work.
Outdoor recreation also has another benefit to society – there’s evidence that people who enjoy the outdoors are far more likely to campaign on environmental matters, helping to protect what we have for future generations. If people aren’t learning to value nature, they won’t care as its richness is depleted.
As we make the strong case for a green recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, it’s more vital than ever that we support efforts to get more people into nature to build a better, more sustainable world. This is particularly important for inequalities, as we know that too many people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland are still missing out on all the benefits of the outdoors. In fact, the wealthiest fifth of adults in Scotland are three times more likely to hill-walk or ramble than the poorest fifth.
But for this to happen there needs to be strategic investment to counter the decades of chronic underinvestment in the staff, infrastructure and the measures needed to help manage people’s visits to nature and protect the environment – and Scotland’s reputation as a destination.
Rural communities need help to support tourism with facilities like trails, toilets, public transport hubs and car parks. Investment is also needed in urban areas for paths, woodlands and blue and green spaces. I’ve found it hugely encouraging to see so many people of all abilities and backgrounds making use of Edinburgh’s paths and parks over the past months. Walking in Scotland over the lockdown period went up by 61%, which is a huge positive for the nation – but all these places need ongoing development and maintenance.
While it’s clear that public funding will be under pressure in the coming years, there must be government resources from across a range of policy areas, as well as other sources of funding such as tourism levies to help support honeypot areas. Otherwise the impacts could be even more stark this summer, as people flock outdoors or go on staycation post-lockdown.
By investing in nature and our enjoyment of the outdoors as emerge from this crisis, Scotland can make a bold commitment towards ensuring that we – and our planet – have a sustainable future for decades to come.
June 23rd, 2020 by Deborah Long
A first and personal take from LINK’s Chief Officer on recommendations for a green and fair recovery.
On 22 June, the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery, published a series of recommendations for the Scottish Government to consider as part of an economic recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. Here at LINK, we responded to the Group’s request for our thoughts. You can read what we said here. This afternoon, on 23 June, the Scottish Parliament debates the Group’s recommendations.
Our first impressions are that the Group’s recommendation to shift toward a wellbeing economy is welcome and we welcome the recognition of the important role nature-based solutions to climate change can play in a recovery. However, the report has not set out an ambitious vision for what a post-pandemic Scotland could be and how we can make changes to radically improve people’s lives while tackling the climate change and reversing biodiversity loss. The report acknowledges that a green recovery is central to Scotland’s economic recovery. The vision of the green recovery could be much wider: we need to go beyond green energy generation and circular economy. The examples in the report peer though the traditional lens of exploiting natural resources: whether through green energy, carbon storage.
COVID-19 has highlighted what is really important and what matters to many of us. We must ensure that this realisation underpins what we do next. It’s taken a global pandemic to remind us that nature calms us down and reassure us. That community is a great source of strength, comfort and ability to get things done. That connections to friends and family maintain us and keep us going. That arts and culture feeds our soul in many and diverse ways. That those who work in the emergency and front-line services provide an actual lifeline and that we really appreciate what they do for us all.
This is what matters. We’ve also realised what doesn’t matter: unnecessary travel and commuting; fast-fashion and take away coffee. Going forward then, what we need, and what we hope for, is a way to ensure we can all access everything we need and find ways of building and protecting access to that for us and future generations, while halting behaviours that work against that or that we no longer need.
This is why the next steps for Scotland as we recover from the pandemic require vision and ambition. Steps that put us on a path to where we need to be in the decades ahead. This report describes its approach of handing onto future generations a world as good as the one we inherited. We need to go further than that and build on Scotland’s strengths to ensure we hand on a better world.
And that is why my first reading of the recommendations from the Advisory Group have left me feeling rather let down. It’s hard to find the vision of a better world in here. This report rests on the old school approach to ‘what can we get’. This is encapsulated by its approach to nature, or natural capital: it looks at how we can continue to exploit nature but says very little about restoring it. The examples it gives of forestry, offshore energy, carbon capture, agriculture seem to be focus on getting more for less: with recommendations for actions limited to measuring Scotland’s natural ‘balance sheet.’ With only 10 years to go to reverse trends in climate changes and biodiversity loss, now is the time to act, not prop up old ways of working and a focus only on measuring what we are losing.
Where is the wider vision, identifying what we need to build on to make the world, and the country a better place, socially, environmentally and economically? If society’s response to the pandemic has been to recognise the value of nature, communities and essential workers, these recommendations should recognise that we all deserve to be able to access a green space, that rural communities depend on sustainable tourism and a healthy environment is not just about production.
For example, the Scottish National Investment Bank must be a force for good that invests in socially just, green initiatives. Bringing forward its ability to issue bonds will be a valuable tool to, as the Advisory Group note, ‘effectively address Scotland’s grand challenges’. The Bank needs to drive innovative investment at scale which delivers a positive impact for communities and the environment.
Government ownership stakes in business, strategic business support and foreign investment are obviously going to be important – but they must be steered towards initiatives that protect and restore what’s important – the environment, society and culture. If we are to learn the lessons from the 1980s, tax incentives must be socially and environmentally responsible. Lessons from 2008 show that bail outs must come with conditions of wider benefits to society, not just stakeholders. Planning and investment in natural capital must be targeted towards a vision at scale – both geographically and across time – in an ecologically coherent context. Marine renewables may be part of a wider solution but must be within the context of managing energy demand and contributing to climate and biodiversity targets. It is too easy for renewable infrastructure to do more harm than good.
Nature-based solutions to climate change in Scotland are going to be central to our recovery: peatland restoration and forestry, along with agriculture that works with nature are absolutely key. Scotland already has mechanisms in place to deliver some of these solutions, through forestry schemes and the Peatland ACTION Fund, but the fact is this is not enough. There is a vast untapped potential for ecosystem restoration that deliver multiple gains including restoring local landscapes, bringing new business opportunities, and building skills and new jobs in rural communities. Other countries are leading on this – New Zealand, a country with similar population size as Scotland, is investing NZ$1.1bn to create 11,000 jobs in large-scale nature restoration projects.[1]
This vision is missing from the economic recovery conversation – so far. Investment in large scale restoration projects that bring skilled work and employment opportunities, a restored environment and healthier lifestyles.
I recognise the Advisory Group’s report is a first step – and that often the first step is the hardest. But these recommendations need to go much further if we are to become the innovative, sustainable and forward-looking country we could be. This is not, yet, the pivot from the old way of thinking into a new way of investing in what really matters. Scotland needs to think big and act accordingly. At the same scale as our mountains, wide open landscapes and stretching coastlines. The horizon is a long way away.
[1] https://www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-releases/2020-media-releases/investment-to-create-11000-environment-jobs-in-our-regions/
June 19th, 2020 by ie-admin
The Fight for Scotland’s Nature campaign has been pushing for an independent, well-resourced watchdog.
New EU Continuity Bill a welcome step forward, say charities.
Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of Scotland’s leading charities has today welcomed the Scottish government’s announcement of a new EU Continuity Bill to safeguard vital environmental protections that would otherwise be lost in December this year, at the end of the Brexit transition period.
The coalition has also warned that the draft law must be significantly strengthened in a number of areas in order to ensure Scotland’s natural environment doesn’t lose out from weakened protection once we leave the EU.
Deborah Long, Chief Officer of Scottish Environment LINK, said:
“We welcome the arrival of this crucial piece of legislation to secure key environmental protections in Scotland post-Brexit. This is an important step to keep Scotland’s high environmental standards in place for the years ahead, however, we know that with a Bill of this complexity the devil will be in the detail.
“We will be examining the Scottish government’s proposals in detail to ensure the new watchdog is fully independent and well-resourced, backed up by strong environmental principles. Whilst we support the direction of travel in the Bill, a first glance shows that some work will be needed to ensure the Principles and Governance requirements meet the standards needed to safeguard Scotland’s amazing nature long into the future.”
June 17th, 2020 by Lisa
During the Covid-19 lockdown many people have started to garden more. It is a good thing to see sales of vegetable seeds soaring, so much so that they have been hard to find. Initially, at least, it was also difficult to obtain other necessary garden products and I struggled to get hold of peat-free compost. I saw this as an encouraging sign that many gardeners are now moving away from buying horticultural peat compost and using some of the many alternatives now on the market.
Alternatives are crucial as voluntary targets have been in place across the UK for some time with the aim of ending the sale of horticultural peat by 2020 and the use of peat in professional sectors by 2030. LINK published benchmarks on peat extraction and use by 2020[1]. None of these have been met.
The reason for these targets is the massive carbon savings that can be made by keeping peat in the ground, peatlands being one of the world’s largest natural carbon stores. For thousands of years, humans have mined peatlands for fuel and fertiliser, but the extent of worldwide peatland destruction means that governments are now taking action to restore and protect these boggy places. Peatlands actually take in carbon from the atmosphere, helping to tackle climate change as well as being vital habitats for wildlife.
In the past 200 years there has been a dramatic decline in the area of lowland raised bogs [2]. In Scotland the area of bog retaining a largely undisturbed surface is estimated to have diminished by over 90% from an original 28,000 ha to 2,500 ha [3]. Raised bogs and blanket bogs are not just important habitats for rare and threatened wildlife, they also play a role in the storage and regulation of huge amounts of carbon and water, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent local flooding. Globally, peatlands are estimated to hold up to one third of the Earth’s terrestrial carbon, despite only covering about 3% of the world’s surface.
If our peatlands dry out, they can no longer store as much carbon for us and our rivers may no longer protect us from flooding if rainfall levels rise. Over time, there is also the potential for positive feedback within the carbon cycle to lead to an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and a worsening of the effects of climate change.
With Scotland aiming to have net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, the Scottish Government has recognised that our peatlands are a low hanging fruit when it comes to tackling climate change. In January, they announced they would provide £20 million for peatland restoration in 2020-21 with a commitment to invest £250 million over the next ten years. This was described as “an absolute game changer for CO2 emissions reductions, biodiversity and the rural economy” by Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform. However, the Scottish Government has recently been criticised for its lack of data on how much peat is actually extracted, as it currently doesn’t keep records. Environmental bodies in LINK have raised concerns about the lack of monitoring and information which is key to ensuring the practice is phased out effectively.
It is also concerning that three planning applications to extend the duration of peatland extraction have recently been lodged, two in Dumfries and Galloway [4] and one in South Lanarkshire [5], which would enable operations to continue on existing peat extraction sites into the 2030s.
LINK member organisations have sent joint objection letters to the local authorities stating that any further peat extraction will undermine Scotland’s net zero target and specifically be contrary to the Council’s obligations under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act (2009). The applications also run contrary to minerals and planning policies. We sincerely hope that the applications will be refused, as this is a no brainer in terms of working towards Scotland’s climate change targets. Not only that, if the Government is spending millions of taxpayers’ money on peatland restoration projects it seems more than a little mad to continue to grant permissions to extract it, particularly when good alternatives are available.
Finding good alternatives is crucial: peatland is a valuable commodity across the world and essential to our efforts to tackle climate change. We need to not only halt extraction in Scotland, which is damaging vital habitats, removing fundamental ecosystem services including carbon storage, but we also need to build demand for peat free alternatives to prevent the problem being exported.
Clare Symonds, Convener of LINK’s Planning Group
References
[1] https://www.scotlink.org/files/policy/PositionPapers/Challenge2020LINKbenchmark.pdf
[2] https://cdn.buglife.org.uk/2019/07/Bogs-for-Bugs.pdf
[3]https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/docs/002_057__restorationoflowlandraisedbogsinscotland_jan2013_1359568030.pdf
[4] Lochwood Moss reference 19/0996/FUL and Eastriggs reference 20/0660/S42
[5] Hillhouse Farm Douglas Water P/20/0466
June 15th, 2020 by phoebe1
By Phoebe Cochrane
The Covid crisis and associated lockdown has brought into sharp focus many aspects of our life, our society and our economy; what is important to us and how well equipped we are to deal with sudden shocks. The recovery package being considered by the Scottish Government offers an opportunity to set our economy on a different trajectory – one that puts people and the environment first.
Prior to the recent abrupt downturn in economic activity, our economy was eating its way through the world’s natural resources at a rate that was both unsustainable from an environmental point of view and undesirable from an economic resilience point of view. The world’s consumption of materials has hit a record of 100 bn tonnes a year, and the proportion being recycled is falling – was the sobering headline from January’s Circularity Gap report.
What’s more, the quantity of raw materials consumed is a key driver of our climate and nature emergencies. The 2019 Global Resource Outlook shows that extracting and processing raw materials is responsible for half the world’s carbon emissions and 80% of biodiversity loss and the consumption of natural resources, which has tripled since the 1970’s, is set to further double by 2060. Unsurprisingly, Western societies are the main culprits. We are consuming far more than our fair share and if everyone lived like UK citizens, we would need about 3 Earths to sustain ourselves, according to ecological footprint data.
Currently we are incredibly wasteful – we generally grow or extract raw materials, make products, use them and then, at the end of their life, discard them. We need to re-programme our economy to extract less from the planet, reuse what we’ve already taken and reduce our waste. This is called a circular economy.
The economic fallout from Covid is going to be huge and governments around the world are thinking about recovery packages. The Scottish Government has committed to a green recovery. We need a more circular economy to be a key focus.
There is public support for this – people do not like waste and are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of our consumptive lifestyle. In a recent survey, over 70% of respondents agreed with the statement that Scotland needs an overall reduction in the amount of raw materials that are used.
Now is the time for a purposeful redirection to a less wasteful, and more circular, restorative and resilient economy.
To achieve this, the Government needs to draw on the expertise in Zero Waste Scotland where there is a wealth of knowledge on different aspects of a more circular economy. Government needs to follow the recommendations of the Infrastructure Commission and make sure that investments in infrastructure support and enable a less polluting and less wasteful economy. It needs to engage with repair and re-use enterprises, to learn about how best to support this sector – a recent survey shows that the Scottish public want repairable products and feel that the Scottish Government should make sure they have access to repair and reuse services as well as recycling services. It needs to think about supply chains and how to close loops. The current crisis has exposed the vulnerability of our global economy and international supply chains. It needs to remember that enterprises that use the land and sea need to be restorative and support those that actively look after the soil, biodiversity and the sea.
Also important in the recovery is what we don’t support. For too long, good initiatives have been supported alongside business as usual. It is time to be bold and decisive – governments need to invest in the infrastructure and enterprises that will contribute to the type of economy we aspire to and to not support practices that lock us into a linear, polluting and wasteful economy. Support for such enterprises, should be conditional on commitments and plans to change.
Let’s hope that a more circular economy is one of the positive outcomes of this difficult time.
Dr Phoebe Cochrane is the Sustainable Economics Officer at Scottish Environment LINK and leads on the project: A Circular Economy for a Fairer Footprint
June 4th, 2020 by ie-admin
Following the Scottish government’s recent announcement that refusal to extend the Brexit transition would have a damaging impact on Scotland’s recovery from the Covid-19 crisis [1], Scottish Environment LINK (LINK), a coalition of Scotland’s leading environmental charities has warned that the accompanying loss of EU environmental protections for Scotland would also put at risk ambitions for a post COVID-19 green recovery.
Currently 1 in 9 wildlife species in Scotland is facing extinction [2]. LINK has warned of this threat and has urged for urgent measures to help prevent a further decline of Scotland’s nature and to avoid undermining a green recovery for Scotland.
Since 2018, more than 35 organisations joined forces under the coalition LINK to launch the campaign, Fight for Scotland’s Nature, to push for legally binding targets for the protection of Scotland’s nature and an action plan for delivery. This included calling for a new and independent watchdog to enforce environmental protections after Brexit.
As much as, 80% of Scotland’s environmental protection stem from EU legislation [3].The charities now fear that Scotland’s natural environment will be put at further risk if time runs out to negotiate a comprehensive deal on the EU exit by the end of the year. Both the UK and Scottish governments need to ensure that measures are established to protect Scotland’s world-renowned natural assets before we leave the EU. Together, the charities also warn that much work needs to be done to put in place strong and lasting environmental protections and to have legislation that is meaningful and adequate.
Proposals for a Scottish environmental watchdog had been due to be set out in the Scottish government’s Continuity Bill this past spring. With the legislation delayed as the government responds to the pandemic, time is now running out to ensure key protections for the environment are developed and in place by the end of 2020, when the transition period to leave the EU ends.
Deborah Long, Chief Officer of Scottish Environment LINK said,
“The unprecedented health and economic challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic have posed challenges to governments at all levels. Despite this, there remains the huge and vital challenge of tackling the continued loss of nature and climate change, reversing the declines of habitats and species. We need a new environmental watchdog with the powers to independently safeguard our natural assets and enforce their protection so that they are not eroded and undermine Scotland’s green recovery. Many of us have relied on nature for our wellbeing during the lockdown; it’s now time for us to fight for Scotland’s nature.”
Media enquiries to:
Azra Wyart on 07788437819/mediaandeventsscotland@gmail.com
Notes to Editor(s)
[1] Scottish Government, 3 June 2020, ‘COVID-19: The Case for Extending the Brexit Transition Period’ https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2020/06/covid-19-case-extending-brexit-transition-period/documents/covid-19-case-extending-brexit-transition-period/covid-19-case-extending-brexit-transition-period/govscot%3Adocument/covid-19-case-extending-brexit-transition-period.pdf
[2] State of Nature Scotland Report 2019 https://nbn.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/State-of-nature-Report-2019-Scotland-full-report.pdf
[3] Fight for Scotland’s Nature campaign: https://www.fightforscotlandsnature.scot/what-we-stand-for/
June 3rd, 2020 by specieschampion
A blog by Juliet Caldwell, Species Champion Coordinator at Scottish Environment LINK.
The last few weeks have seen an unprecedented and disruptive change to our daily lives in a bid to keep us safe. In a time of uncertainty, what is certain is that the current situation and the advice regarding social distancing and self-isolation will have a massive impact on our mental health and overall sense of wellbeing.
The human-nature relationship is an important one. Studies across the world are clarifying what many instinctively know; that we often feel restored when we spend time in nature. Over the past few years mounting research has shown that interactions with nature lowers blood pressure and decreases levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which calms the body’s fight or flight response. Most research has focused on the visual aspects of nature experiences. However, humans are multi-sensory and benefits are delivered through non-visual senses such as sound, smell, taste and touch. Watching birds and listening to bird song can help filter away stress.
Globally, people are shifting their relationship to the natural environment at a time when access to shared outdoor space has rarely been so difficult. The COVID-19 pandemic may be a chance to shift perceptions of what “nature” really means and finding new hyper-local ways to appreciate it. At a time when the mental health effects of mass isolation and anxiety over a rising death toll are still unmeasured and unknown, experts have highlighted the importance of getting up close with nature in whatever way possible. Vitamin D from the sunshine boosts immune systems and bone health. Immersion in greenery has been linked to reduction of stress, healthier heart rates and blood pressure.
However, the current lockdown is proving challenging for millions of people across the country who do not have access to greenspace. Access to greenspaces has become a luxury, despite access to them being fundamental to our ability to stay healthy. Public parks have closed their gates and neighbourhoods are losing vital access to green space. While strict isolation rules have been implemented to keep us safe, not having access to nature in an outdoor space has dangerous knock-on effects on physical and mental health for many. However, an increased quantity and quality of green space won’t just benefit us – it’ll help conserve biodiversity and reverse nature’s decline so that wildlife can thrive, not just survive.
Our opportunities to engage with nature may be fewer during the pandemic but there are numerous ways to stay connected to the natural world and look after your wellbeing. Noticing nature through a window, tending plants or taking green exercise all can improve your well-being and self-esteem. We are currently watching spring unfold, a symbol of renewal and regeneration. Humans are inherently social, and the prospect of forced isolation has led many of us to reconnect with nature. Nature will nurture us. However, the relationship will only survive and remain balanced if it is reciprocated.
There’s nothing good about the coronavirus pandemic. Since we’re fated to go through this passage, we may as well learn something from it. There are a few insights to learn. The COVID-19 crisis has seen humans act with unprecedented solidarity. It is abundantly clear now that prevention is better than cure. The pandemic has revealed some truths: that disasters do not respect borders; that solidarity brings strength; that science and expert advice matter; and that delay is deadly. The same lessons hold true for today’s nature crisis, where nature, in Scotland and across the world is diminishing in terms of species diversity and habitat occupation. While the pandemic was sudden and will be temporal, the impacts of nature loss is incremental, but also severe and persistent. Without support and investment, nature cannot continue to provide the wellbeing and livelihoods we depend on.
People around the world are realising the importance of nature for our wellbeing. The world has come to a standstill and we’ve never had so much free time. People are turning to gardening and small-scale agricultural activities. We have time to reflect upon our relationship with nature. People of all ages are craving open spaces; realising the wellbeing and health benefits of being in nature. We need nature more than ever, as a solution, as a resource, for respite and for our mental health and wellbeing. Appreciating nature and having access to it has never been so important.
May 22nd, 2020 by vhairi
A blog by Paul Walton, Head of Habitats and Species at RSPB Scotland and Vice-convener of LINK’s Wildlife Group.
Today, May 22nd, is the United Nations’ International Day of Biodiversity. The theme for this year is Our Solutions are in Nature.
When planning for this event, no one could ever have predicted how this theme would come to serve not only its original purpose – to focus minds on creative synergistic solutions to the twin biodiversity and climate emergencies – but also to resonate with such profound clarity as we move through the global pandemic and look towards a fundamentally transformed future.
The collective realisation that the way this transformation will unfold lies in our hands, that, despite collective loss and suffering, despite recession and job losses, we stand at a uniquely unfrozen moment, is tangible.
People are already beginning to find and take the opportunities inherent in our new context, to work towards a better world.
In New Zealand, a country with a human population virtually identical to Scotland’s, the government this week announced a $1.1 billion investment to create 11,000 new environment-based jobs[1]. The focus and thrust of this investment is the restoration of nature: regional environment projects; the control of invasive species and biosecurity to prevent future problems; new jobs in the statutory conservation agencies’ programmes for protected areas and beyond, including species and habitat monitoring; and a new budget to fund biodiversity restoration on both public and private land.
Also this week, the European Commission is releasing its long-awaited Biodiversity Strategy – but in a progressive move, simultaneously launching its Farm to Fork Strategy. Agriculture and fishing are among the most important drivers of biodiversity loss across the planet. The simultaneous launch signals that a new norm may be emerging in Europe – where food production and nature work to mutual benefit for a healthy and sustainable future. LINK organisations have yet to analyse the detail of these strategies, but initial indications are promising: they aim to increase nature protected areas on land and at sea by 30%; to restore 10% of farmland for biodiversity, with more and better managed field margins, hedgerows and wildflower areas; to introduce binding nature restoration targets, to restore ecosystems such as peatlands, wetlands, forests and marine habitats – essential nature-based solutions for an effective package of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The COVID-19 pandemic must offer lessons for us all. For me, it has brought home the simple fact that a healthy planet is a precondition for healthy human societies and personal wellbeing; that science and evidence should guide and direct policy; and that crises must be acted on quickly if we are to gain and effect control.
These two developments, at contrasting geographic scales and in distant parts of the world, hopefully signal that such lessons from the pandemic are beginning to be learned, and that this learning is being put into practice quickly and decisively.
We all know that despite the sudden and intense shift of focus that the pandemic brought us, the climate and biodiversity emergencies have not gone away. The State of Nature 2019 report[2] tells us that we are losing nature in Scotland. The IPBES Global Assessment[3] tells us that transformative change is needed to reverse such losses and avoid severe damage to human wellbeing from ecosystems degradation.
Scotland’s Environment Strategy and Programme for Government point to an intent to address these crises effectively in future. We already lead in key areas like peatland restoration. Now we are seeing strategic and practical post-Covid developments emerging across the world that signal new and progressive ways forward. I believe that with investment and imagination Scotland can join these leaders – and that a better future is in our grasp.
[1] https://www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-releases/2020-media-releases/investment-to-create-11000-environment-jobs-in-our-regions/
[2] https://nbn.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/State-of-nature-Report-2019-Scotland-full-report.pdf
[3] https://ipbes.net/news/global-assessment-summary-policymakers-final-version-now-available
April 29th, 2020 by vhairi
A blog by Professor James Curran MBE, Chair of the James Hutton Institute and Honorary Fellow of Scottish Environment LINK.
As I write this, the world-wide battle against Covid-19 is underway. In every country, Governments are taking unprecedented action and mobilising enormous financial resources. In the UK there are the first signs of a reduction in hospitalisations and, hopefully, the appalling rate of fatalities will soon decline.
The emergency arose, at least partly, both due to a lack of preparation, even though a pandemic was recognised many years ago as a likely global threat (eg see Fig1 of the World Economic Forum Global Risks 2015 report), and due to a lack of resilience in public and private services. National governments have an over-riding responsibility to provide security for their citizens and every unnecessary fatality, due to poor preparation, is a great sadness and also an inexcusable failure.
We have been witnessing that governments, in extreme circumstances, can take extraordinary powers and have the ability to embrace innovation and take decisions at unprecedented speed. We have also seen that market-based solutions have provided little or no protection to citizens. These lessons must be learnt.
As we turn around the crisis and look towards the exit strategy, then there should be demands for the recovery packages to create a world that is better equipped to respond to such emergencies. We should not tolerate a repeat of the 2008 financial crash, the aftermath of which fundamentally changed very little. It is unacceptable to have an economy which can be facing ruin within a few weeks of the emergence of a new virus. The recovery pathway, this time, will set the direction for decades to come. That recovery may well, and hopefully will, be quite rapid with suggestions that pre-Covid GDP may be attained as early as 2021/22. So, thought must be given to the future.
The current world-wide financial support packages and future stimulus packages are already, and most certainly will, far exceed those mobilised in 2008. Those packages must mainstream sustainability and there is likely to be increasing demand for them to focus significantly on social care, social support and health resilience.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals provide an existing model on which to shape the recovery and the European Commission, at the end of 2019, also released it thoughts on a European Green Deal, emphasising the need for a set of deeply transformative policies and a global response. Although specifically targeting the climate and ecosystem emergencies, the proposals set out “to protect the health and wellbeing of citizens from environment-related risks and impacts”. With suggestions that Covid-19 emerged as a result of poor wildlife regulation in China, this European document is certainly well-timed.
In Scottish terms, the proposals align well with our aspirations for inclusive and sustainable economic growth. It is time to create smarter, climate-proofed infrastructure, develop regenerative agriculture, mainstream multi-modal public transport, reform taxation to reflect externalities, and to pursue a low-resource circular economy – all with much increased ambition. This time round, disaster recovery must treat people as part of the solution, and not as an aspect to be managed. Unlike 2008, this emergency really has been shared; the virus has attacked right around the world and attacked both rich and poor. Most of us have relied very heavily on the commitment of service-providers, previously marginalised and often described as low-skill, and certainly low pay. It is to be hoped that greater degrees of solidarity may emerge.
You would expect me to argue that the combined climate and nature emergency is, and most certainly will become, a challenge that will dwarf even that presented by Covid-19. It has been declared an “emergency” by many authorities and yet the actual response has been insignificant compared to that marshalled against the Coronavirus. The scale of the climate challenge is considerable. For example, a drop of 10% in global GDP in 2020, with a return towards normal in 2021, probably only gives us an extra 3 weeks over the next 30 years to meet the necessary emissions targets. See Figure 1 here for more detail.
Climate change demands global co-operation; it demands behaviour change; it demands public and private investment. However, it doesn’t have the immediacy of the pandemic and it hasn’t established a shared emotion as a powerful driver for change – at least not yet.
So, there will be a struggle to get voices heard for a new approach in amongst the demands, by many and varied interests, for our society and economy to be rebuilt rapidly and on the lines of the status quo. Partnerships like LINK, which take the longer view, should be prepared to shout loudly to be heard above the tumult.
We must marshal the arguments and appeal to the post-Covid sentiment. We need a country and an economy that is prepared for shocks in the future and that protects its citizens and lifestyles. Indeed, Core Cities UK, a partnership of the UK’s major cities outside London, has suggested this is the time for “reimagining the future of cities.”
Scotland has a broad-based economy and should be well-placed to emerge stronger and more resilient. We have strengths in technology and innovation, in renewable energies, in food & drink, and in the financial sector, particularly insurance. Very low interest rates offer opportunities for public and private investment on an unprecedented scale to rebuild our social and environmental fabric.
Many experts, including LINK, continue to prepare the pathway to a better future and to ensure we have the information which allows us to be ready for the impacts of climate change, and indeed to seize some of the opportunities that will be presented. It will be more important than ever to create a dedicated national green recovery package that will support jobs and livelihoods that will endure, in renewable technologies and in the circular economy. These will be jobs that are more locally based and that add greater value along the supply and delivery chains. They are jobs that will not continue to undermine and exploit our environment and the life support systems provided by nature. Indeed, we must invest in nature-based solutions and green infrastructure, and improved access to life-enhancing natural environments, on a scale and in extent not seen before. The demands of climate change mitigation and adaptation must be addressed simultaneously. We can create a better, socially more just, more economically robust, and a happier and healthier place to live, here in Scotland.
Scientists predicted a global pandemic. It appeared on global risk registers. But we weren’t ready.
Scientists predict a climate and nature emergency. It appears on risk registers. This time we must prepare.
April 15th, 2020 by Miriam Ross
A blog by Kevin Lelland, head of development and communications at the John Muir Trust and a Trustee of Scottish Environment LINK
It’s the black swan of our time. Few of us could have imagined how our lives and society could change so dramatically and quickly by an insidious pandemic that affects all of us and especially the poor, vulnerable, key workers and those who have lost loved ones to Covid-19. For government, businesses and charities alike decisions have by necessity been taken quickly.
For those who can, work from home has been implemented and where the ability to sustain a job role is hindered by personal circumstances or ability to work, the UK government has supported individuals and organisations with a furlough scheme (at the time of writing, until the end of May 2020).
It’s a situation that all of us within the Environment LINK network are getting to grips with and dependent on the current state of each our organisations there are difficult decisions being made that aim to support staff, continue to fulfil the purpose of our charities and all while we try to assess how to secure the long-term health of our organisation when the future is so uncertain.
What is clear is that almost all environmental NGOs will now need to start thinking about what a streamlined organisation looks like in the coming months and what it (and we as a collective) can now achieve for nature, people, communities and the environment during the rest of this year.
As we embark on this next stage here’s six aspects those who manage teams will need to consider…
1) Transparency. It’ll be important to lead the transition to a streamlined team based on values and virtues first. Any decisions made on furloughing and the rationale used will need to be communicated clearly with all your team. Share with everyone in your organisation the need to deal with each other, more so now than ever, with respect, candour, fairness and consistency. Set the example and aim for transparent work methods and communications that seek input across all colleagues as appropriate and ask and expect for comment and ideas without drama. This is a stressful time in which each of your team will be affected differently, but many aspects of work can remain calm and measured.
2) Team work. Make sure regular team meetings and one to one meetings with line managers are a top priority. Ask that they have a clear purpose and agendas that result in positive actions. Encourage active listening and that colleagues seek advice from each other, address uncertainty, give due praise and provide encouragement and support. Look to foster trust by making sure people are clear on what is expected of them, with adjusted roles in place and explanations on how that contributes to the streamlined team. Consider investing more time and energy on internal communications during this period, thinking not just about modern technologies, but also how to strike a balance between process and culture. Look at ways to keep those on furlough informed of what is happening in the organisation and look at how you can also support them to have an option to stay in touch with colleagues in a personal capacity, for example, through work based social media groups. Think about who is best placed to support and champion your desired messages and behaviours inside the organisation.
3) External communications. Look at what you can communicate externally, thinking carefully about volume and frequency with a focus on values-based messaging and the tone of voice that is most relevant to society right now. For the environmental sector values such as unity with nature and health and well-being as part of nature should come to the fore. Be aware of how you communicate any short-term gains or ‘case studies’ we see for the environment as a result of the pandemic, it’ll likely be more effective to focus on the long-term systematic changes our planet needs to make. Are your messages framed to be positive and inclusive and do they balance emotive messages with facts? You can also look at where there could be advantages by increasing investment in specific tactics and or brand awareness especially if timed correctly and as a result of a clear opportunity to address an increased understanding in society of the need to shift behaviours as a result of the pandemic.
4) Positioning. Consider where there will be opportunities to position your organisation and its work as a result of the pandemic. Like any major disruptor that emerges in society, it’ll be those who act, react and interact with the situation as is, not as was, that will go forward, meet their objectives and be supported by people in the future. We may find that if society changes the way it operates due to the pandemic, so too will some charities need to change how they fulfil their purpose. Make space to consider where you might need or want to change what you do, start to think through the rationale and narrative of that now, and the pace at which you can realistically do this given the immediate focus on the current impact on your team and finances – you can go too fast and too slow. Be clear on what resources and activities you need to prioritise. Identify and share with your teams where this could be an opportunity to instigate long-term cultural and operational changes and seek other ideas. Many of us are already being forced to pilot and test new ways of home working, what else might be ideal to test or pilot at this time?
5) People. Our people make our organisations what they are, often providing the voice that connects our charities to nature and people by providing the insights into the issues we care about and changes we want to see happen. Be empathetic to the situation your team finds itself in and look to find solutions with them while being clear about the challenges and difficult decisions the organisation is facing as a result. With such upheaval in general and in each of our personal circumstances, it’ll be important to think about and share the critical roles everyone is still able to play and how to motivate people in the long-term, even if in the interim some people are furloughed or asked to work reduced hours. Furloughed employees can undertake work-based training and or local volunteering. Some of them may wish and need support to take-up these options.
6) Measurement. Recognise where existing performance indicators are no longer valid. Pay attention to putting key metrics in place during this temporary period and do that with the team who will deliver them. SMART targets will be more important than ever. While getting graphs going up to the right and measuring your effectiveness and efficiencies will remain important, have a clear narrative for the team around the areas where you might reasonably expect ‘performance bumps’. Look to avoid what is known as Simpson’s Paradox where an upward trend can appear in one group of data, but disappears when several groups of data are combined.
Finally, be kind to yourself and others that are having to make difficult decisions, recognising there is no precedent to support or guide many of the conversations we are having. Reach out within your network for advice from those who are grappling with the same challenges. There’s an African proverb that says, if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together. The latter is very much the attitude I see within the Scottish Environment LINK network and one we should foster during these difficult times.
