The Changing Climate: The Imperative for Action

Dave GormanHead of Environmental Strategy

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Asked to cover…

Some of the science, particularly Scottish observations

SEPA’s response to the climate change challenge

Introduce Scotland’s Principal’s Climate Commitment

(in my role as Chair of the Advisory Board)

Long-term CO2 record

IPCC 4th Assessment report

The understanding of anthropogenic warming and cooling influences on climate has improved since the Third Assessment Report (TAR), leading to very high confidence that the globally averaged net effect of human activities since 1750 has been one of warming,

Longterm temperature trend in Scotland

Average Temperature

Earlier Flowering

3 weeks early

Snowdrop Wild Daffodil Winter aconite

2 weeksearly

Bluebell Dog violet Lesser celandine

1 weekearly

Broom Wild cherry

Courtesy:Prof. Fred Last,Longniddry

1978-2001

Heating degree days

SEPA’s Climate Change Plan

Identifies actions that SEPA will take across all of its business activities and functions over the next 5 years in order to help Scotland respond to the challenges and opportunities that we face from climate change.

SEPA’s role

Monitoring and Analysis Regulation Advice to Operators Greening SEPA Informing and Influencing Communicating Information

Monitoring and analysis National Environment Monitoring

Programme – c50,000 samples, 700,000 determinands, 500+

chemicals, 2000 plants and animals.

Regulation

Advice to business

Environmental footprint of SEPA’s activities

Informing and influencing

Understanding our risk - new flood maps November 2006

Attitudes

There was a time when Glasgow looked like this

Scotland’s Principals’ Climate Commitment

What’s Behind the Commitment?

Part of the Campus Sustainability Programme Brought forward by SD Topic Support Network Output for CaSPr programme 2008-11

Commitment reflects similar work elsewhere In local government – ‘Scotland’s climate change

Declaration’ – ‘Nottingham Declaration’ In FE/HE ‘American College and University

Presidents CC Commitment’ – ‘CC Statement of Action for Canada’

Proactive response to Scottish Climate Change Bill, other UK/EU legislation

Towards a Climate Commitment

Scotland’s Principals’ Climate Commitment: A sector response to act on climate change Demonstrates leadership on climate change

Places sector at the vanguard Process covers both mitigation (causes) and adaptation

(effects) Strategic, to direct action over the medium term BUT with specific undertakings to act and report No ‘league tables’ – inclusive, not just the ‘greener’

Reflects work already being done through CaSPr carbon management, waste, recycling, energy saving

Partnership with Government, others in ‘shared endeavour’

What’s Happened So Far?

EAUC secured Scottish Funding Council support for process

Consultancy support to assist delivery Strong early collaboration to establish Advisory Board

Includes FE/HE representation, Scottish Government, EAUC-S, Scottish Funding Council, Universities Scotland, SEPA – add student and trade unions

Representation from college and university principals ‘Technical support’ from Carbon Trust, EST,

SNIFFER Board purposes:

to draft/consult on/finalise/launch Commitment develop business plan for future support by end-

2008 Agreed Board remit and approach for Commitment

What Happens Next?

Priority - draft Commitment text for consultation Circulate to FE/HE representative bodies Seek Ministerial support for Commitment Promote signature of Commitment by institutions Develop a support mechanism through CaSPr Link to other reporting/performance frameworks Foster linkages, smart working and learning:

Other sectors in Scotland – public, local government FE/HE activity elsewhere

The Future

‘There is nothing positive coming from behind, a cold wind is blowing in all our faces and this is how we see our immediate future’

Wolfgang Bernhard, VW

(NOT!)

BUT THIS…

Imagination is more important than knowledge A.Einstein

Vision is the art of seeing things invisible J.Swift

Eloquence is found in action Shakespeare, Coriolanus