September 6th, 2017 by ie-admin
5 September 2017 – Scottish Environment LINK members warmly welcome measures to safeguard Scotland’s environment outlined in the Scottish Government’s programme for government. Clean air and transport, tackling climate change and reducing waste as well as promoting eco-innovation are key areas of action that can deliver benefits for everyone in Scotland.
“Scotland’s pledge to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals needs to be backed up with real actions and the programme for government announced today is a very important first step towards putting in place much needed reforms”, said Helen Todd, Chair of Scottish Environment LINK.
“We hope that this programme for government will mark the beginning of even further bold action to make our vision for a sustainable and low carbon Scotland a reality. The environment cannot be seen in isolation or as separate to policies for the economy, agriculture, fisheries, transport, innovation or planning. Our environment is – quite literally- the air we breathe, the food we grow and eat, the water we drink and the land we live in and enjoy”, added Helen.
Today’s environmental challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and resource scarcity illustrate all too clearly that we can no longer afford to legislate in silos. This is why LINK members have been calling for the strengthening of the National Performance Framework as a tool for ensuring that policies are fit for purpose. We hope that the upcoming review of the Framework will not only align it with the UN Sustainable Development Goals but that it will also launch a debate about how it can be used as a useful metric for how our policies match up against our vision for Scotland.
As the First Minister stated, to protect human rights, we need to safeguard environmental rights. Legislation that takes into account the environment and environmental limits is essential for our future prosperity. LINK members will continue working with government and elected officials towards this end.
Contact details
Daphne Vlastari, LINK Advocacy officer
0131 225 4345/0757 211 22 79 or daphne@scotlink.org
Scottish Environment LINK is the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment community, with over 35 member bodies representing a broad spectrum of environmental interests with the common goal of contributing to a more environmentally sustainable society.
LINK is a Scottish Charity (SC000296) and a Scottish Company Limited by guarantee (SC250899). LINK is core funded by Membership Subscriptions and by grants from Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Government and Charitable Trusts.
Visit us at ukvps3.ie-dev.co.uk/scotlink-wordpress/ or follow us on @ScotLINK
August 3rd, 2017 by ie-admin
As part of a joint marine campaign, Scotland’s leading marine environment groups are calling on close collaboration between all UK administrations to ensure the UK Marine Bill makes it into the November Queen’s speech, so that Scottish and UK Marine Bills can be taken forward in tandem.
June 22nd, 2017 by ie-admin
Hilltracks press release June 2017
Read the press release issued 21/6/17 by LINK Hilltracks subgroup, calling on outdoor enthusiasts to help them assess the damage caused to Scotland’s iconic mountains by controversial vehicle tracks.
May 31st, 2017 by ie-admin
And see our full consultation response here
April 4th, 2017 by ie-admin
March 30th, 2017 by ie-admin
A new report from Scottish civil society organisations, including Scottish Environment LINK, highlights that individuals’ rights must be safeguarded as the UK prepares to leave the European Union (EU).
Brought together by the Human Rights Consortium Scotland, experts from 12 different civil society organisations have outlined the potential impacts on rights in Scotland of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.
Published on 27 March, the report argues how the EU has been the main driver of many individual rights for children, women, disabled people, and workers, as well as rights that are enjoyed by everyone such as a clean environment.
Without the EU pushing rights forward, these organisations are concerned that legal rights may be reduced, and that progress on achieving greater rights for disadvantaged people will stall. They are calling for greater participation in decision-making around negotiations for the UK leaving the EU.
Civil society works with, and represents many excluded or rarely listened to people in Scotland. Policy makers must listen to these people, and civil society can help them to do so.
Further reading:
March 27th, 2017 by ie-admin
Environmental groups have expressed reservations about today’s publication of Scotland’s first National Marine Plan. Following several years of consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny, the Plan paves the way for a more coordinated approach to developments at sea. A coalition of environmental groups have welcomed the general principles underpinning the Plan, but remain concerned that it supports growth for some sectors which could risk environmental health of the seas.
December 7th, 2016 by ie-admin
Today European Commissioners took the historic decision to retain the EU’s flagship environment legislation: the Birds and Habitats Directives (the ‘Nature Directives’). Pressure to revise these laws, as their fitness was under review, was met by an 18 month Defend Nature campaign run by environmental NGOs across Europe. Public response was unprecedented, with a record 550,000 people engaging with the European Commission’s consultation on the future of the legislation.
Revered worldwide and perceived as the foundation of nature conservation across Europe, the Nature Directives protect species and create the critical network of European protected wildlife sites – the Natura Network. Where properly implemented these laws are scientifically proven to be effective, delivering demonstrable positive outcomes for nature, as well as significant social and economic benefits.
Paul Walton, of Scottish Environment LINK’s Wildlife Subroup said:
“Wildlife does not recognise borders, and today’s news is of huge significance for species and habitats right across the continent. We welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to maintain European standards of environmental protection in Scotland, whatever outcomes emerge following the EU Referendum results. A key test will be maintaining the integrity and international significance of Scotland’s Natura network sites, and delivering favourable conservation status for our threatened species. It is increasingly clear that the natural environment is a key factor in the health and wellbeing of the people”.
The European Commission said that the ‘fitness check’ has recognised that the Nature Directives remain relevant and fit for purpose, but their implementation needs to be improved. To this end, the Commission will develop an Action Plan with local authorities to assess implementation challenges and help Member States take the necessary corrective action
End
Contact details:
Dr Paul Walton of the LINK Wildlife Group
Email: paul.walton@rspb.org.uk
Phone: 07979 240 857
Daphne Vlastari, LINK Advocacy Officer
Email: daphne@scotlink.org
Phone: 0757 211 33 79
Editors’ Notes
(1) Record-breaking campaign to save the nature laws
• The European Commission’s review of the Directives arose from President Jean-Claude Juncker’s instruction in 2014 to “carry out an in-depth evaluation of the Birds and Habitats Directives and assess the potential for merging them into a more modern piece of legislation”, as part of the ‘better regulation’ initiative.
• Over 100 NGOs from across the UK countries came together in response, calling for the Directives to be saved and better implemented – not ‘modernised’ http://bit.ly/2haaBcL.
• More than 550,000 citizens took part in the European Commission’s consultation on the Directives in 2015 – the largest response to any Commission consultation to date http://bit.ly/1i4b6Bo.
• In December 2015, the Environment Council recognised the importance of full implementation of these “essential” laws to “maintain legal certainty for all stakeholders”. http://bit.ly/2g2pFnH.
• In February 2016, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to oppose “a possible revision of the Nature Directives” http://bit.ly/1Sq0gFO.
• In March 2016, a Commission external evaluation concluded that the Directives are ‘fit for purpose’ (released through an access to documents request) http://bit.ly/2gClHGG.
(2) Scottish Environment LINK is the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment community, with over 35 member bodies representing a broad spectrum of environmental interests with the common goal of contributing to a more environmentally sustainable society.
(3) Statement of Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella on outcome of Fitness Check: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-2019/vella/announcements/my-statement-orientation-debate-next-steps-fitness-check-birds-and-habitats-directives_en
LINK is a Scottish Charity (SC000296) and a Scottish Company Limited by guarantee (SC250899). LINK is core funded by Membership Subscriptions and by grants from Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Government and Charitable Trusts.
Have you heard about LINK Local ? LINK’s one-year trial of a matchmaking service for local groups working on environmental issues across Scotland. Why not find our more at LINKLocal or follow us on facebook
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www.savescottishseas.org
ukvps3.ie-dev.co.uk/scotlink-wordpress//local
October 17th, 2016 by ie-admin
October 12th, 2016 by ie-admin
Announcement of Scottish GDP performance for the second quarter of 2016 is keenly awaited and today’s figures will be interpreted in the light of the uncertainty leading up to the Brexit vote. Figures show that GDP grew by 0.4% during this period, a lower figure compared to the UK average of 0.7%. But Scotland has consistently outperformed other parts of the UK when it comes to well-being and social progress indicators.
“This is not at all paradoxical. Higher GDP does not mean greater well-being overall. GDP simply measures how busy our economy is, but tells us nothing about its effect on people or on the environment. In other words, the quality of economic activity is just as important as the quantity”, noted Matthew Crighton Convenor of LINK’s Economics Group. “Our economy should be a means to wellbeing, providing us with satisfying work, enough income, and products and services that are good for society, without harming the environment. If we aspire to a happy population and a healthy environment, GDP is simply not synonymous with this kind of progress. Other information needs to be considered alongside GDP. Luckily there is an increasing recognition of this and interesting data is available to us”, added Matthew.
The Social Progress Index, published yesterday, allows comparisons between Scotland and other parts of the UK. Scotland outperforms other UK regions on most indicators, showing that our quality of life is better. Moreover, recent personal well-being data from the Office for National Statistics, shows that over the period 2012 – 2016, Scotland, especially the North and West, score higher than most other parts of the UK.
This confirms the relevance and importance of Scotland’s National Performance Framework for policy development. The National Performance Framework includes a range of indicators against which we can gauge our progress beyond GDP.
Scottish Environment LINK members has been working with the Scottish Government on promoting and improving a suite of indicators that can adequately reflect the wellbeing of society and the health of our environment as well as the state of our economy. Given the oft-quoted adage that ‘what we measure affects what we do’, clear indicators are needed to measure progress towards a more sustainable Scotland.
Download the full press release here.
//ENDS//
For more information, please contact:
Matthew Crighton, LINK Economics Group Convenor
Email: mcrighton@foe-scotland.org.uk, Tel: 07851348426
Daphne Vlastari, LINK Advocacy Officer
Email: daphne@scotlink.org, Tel: 0131 225 4345
Notes to Editors:
