July 5th, 2023 by moragA new report backed by experts from across Scotland’s environmental sector has welcomed the Scottish Government’s commitment to incorporating the substantive and procedural elements of the right to a healthy environment in its upcoming Human Rights Bill. The report suggests Scotland could become ‘a global leader’ in protecting environmental rights, but only if new rights ‘have teeth’ and are enforceable against public bodies and polluters.
The report, compiled by the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) on behalf of Scottish Environment LINK, draws on guidance from the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment and international best practice to identify the definitions, standards and enforcement mechanisms to uphold the six interdependent features of the substantive right to a healthy environment: – clean air, safe climate, healthy and sustainable food, safe water and adequate sanitation, non-toxic environments, and healthy, biodiverse ecosystems.
The procedural element of the right to a healthy environment is already enshrined in the Aarhus Convention, but Scotland is in breach of the Convention’s access to justice requirements and has until October 2024 to ensure that court proceedings for environmental cases are ‘fair, equitable, timely, and not prohibitively expensive’.
Shivali Fifield, Chief Officer at the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, said:
‘We welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to incorporate the substantive right to a healthy environment in a Scottish Human Rights Bill, and this should rightly be celebrated. However, the devil is in the detail. Our report provides a route map for the government to be bold in upholding the highest standards and effective enforcement mechanisms for clean air, safe climate, water, food, non-toxic environments and healthy biodiversity and ecosystems. Without this, the right has no teeth and will be meaningless. Equally, we need to see concrete reforms to legal expenses and a dedicated environment court to achieve full compliance with the Aarhus Convention and to make our procedural right to a healthy environment a reality.’
Juliet Caldwell, Advocacy Officer at Scottish Environment LINK, said:
‘Following the UN General Assembly declaring access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a universal human right, the government must be bold in how it incorporates this right into Scots law. Scotland has the opportunity to become a global leader in protecting our environmental rights. However, the six features of the substantive right are interdependent and need standalone protection if we have any hope in tackling the climate and nature crisis.’
Read the report
Notes to Editors
[1] The Scottish Government has committed to incorporating the Human Right to a Healthy Environment as part of the Human Rights (Scotland) Bill by May 2026. This follows recommendation 2 of the National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership Report: ‘to include the right to a healthy environment with substantive and procedural elements into the statutory framework.’ A public consultation on the Bill opened on 15 June 2023, with the right to a healthy environment addressed in Part 5. The consultation is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/human-rights-bill-scotland-consultation/
[2] The Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) assist the public and civil society to understand and exercise their rights in environmental law and to protect the environment. We carry out advocacy in policy and law reform to improve environmental rights, and full compliance with the Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice on environmental matters. www.ercs.scot
[3] Scottish Environment LINK is the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment community, with over 40 member bodies representing a broad spectrum of environmental interests with the common goal of contributing to a more environmentally sustainable society. We are a Scottish Charity (SC000296) and a Scottish Company Limited by guarantee (SC250899), core funded by Membership subscriptions and by grants from NatureScot, Scottish Government and Charitable Trusts. https://www.scotlink.org/
[4] The report addresses only the six standalone features of the substantive element of the right. The procedural element is covered under the Aarhus Convention on access to environmental information, participation in environmental decision-making, and access to justice. The full report, ‘Substantive features of the right to a healthy environment: a review of definitions, standards, and enforcement mechanisms’, The report urges the Government to follow international best practice, following recommendations made by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to a healthy environment, and standards set by International agencies such as the World Health Organisation and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. https://www.ercs.scot/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/The-Substantive-Right-to-a-Healthy-Environment_June-23_online.pdf
[5] The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment was recognised in resolution A/76/L.75 at UN General Assembly in July 2022. https://sdg.iisd.org/news/unga-recognizes-human-right-to-clean-healthy-and-sustainable-environment/#:~:text=The%20UN%20General%20Assembly%20(UNGA,and%20sustainable%20environment%20for%20all.
Read the report
July 4th, 2023 by moragRising deer numbers are one of the biggest threats to the survival and expansion of Scotland’s globally important temperate rainforest, according to a new report.
Saving Scotland’s rainforest: managing the impact of deer highlights that although deer are a natural part of the rainforest’s ecosystem, they also represent a significant barrier to its restoration if not managed properly.
The report has been published by Scottish Environment LINK, the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment community on behalf of its Deer Working Group, and commissioned by the Woodland Trust Scotland.
Scotland’s rainforest is found along the west coast of Scotland and is a globally rare habitat, part of sites classed as temperate rainforest. Woodland once covered large areas of the west coast, but much of this has been lost over the last two millennia – now covering just 4.8%. Factors that have contributed to rainforest decline and fragmentation include mismanagement, overgrazing by both sheep and deer and suppression of woodland by invasive non-native species
Deer numbers are at historic highs in Scotland – and while the Scottish government has devoted funding for deer management, much of this has been for deer fencing, an approach that is both expensive and often ultimately ineffective in the current way that fencing is implemented on the ground.
The report lays out the challenge at hand: to reduce deer’s negative impact on the rainforest while also retaining their key role as a natural part of its ecosystem. In order to do this, it recommends a number of measures are taken as a matter of urgency, which include:
- Long-term support for deer management to be rolled out across the landscape, along with the eradication of Rhododendron ponticum, the other main threat to the survival of Scotland’s rainforest.
- Developing a community approach to deer stalking and management, including the establishment of more community larders, the training of community members to participate in deer culling and venison handling and much more focus placed on the management of roe and sika deer. Traditionally, deer stalking has mostly focused on red deer. The report also encourages the promotion of rainforest employment opportunities to schoolchildren and the marketing of rainforest venison to restaurants and hospitality businesses.
- Support for new technologies such as drone and thermal surveying in order to better estimate current deer numbers.
- New funding streams, including a Scotland’s Rainforest Restoration Fund.
- Leadership from Scottish Government agencies in ensuring that rainforest deer do not hinder the delivery of the ecosystem services that a healthy rainforest can deliver. Landowning environmental NGOs are also encouraged to demonstrate best practice in deer management, and ultimately reduce the impacts of climate change, restore biodiversity and ensure a future for fragile human communities in the rainforest.
Duncan Orr-Ewing, Chair of Scottish Environment LINK’s Deer Group said:
“Scotland’s Rainforest has been rightly identified by the Scottish Government as one of the priority geographical areas of Scotland where deer numbers need to be reduced to sustainable population levels.
“In the coming years we need to see clear evidence of Rainforest regeneration and expansion, thereby also helping to tackle the nature and climate emergency.”
Deborah Long, Scottish Environment LINK’s Chief Officer said:
“Sustainable deer management is one of the most impactful actions Scotland can take to tackle the nature and climate emergency. Scottish Environment LINK members have been working together for years to promote sustainable deer management and to illustrate the natural, social and economic benefits of reducing Scotland’s large deer population.
“This report on the management of deer in Scotland’s rainforest shows the way forward in effective deer management and, if the proposed recommendations are heeded, has the potential to make a very positive impact on the restoration and survival of one of Scotland’s most important ecosystems, as well as acting as a template for actions in other Scottish habitats.”
Read the report
Image: James Rainey
June 29th, 2023 by moragResponding to the Cabinet Secretary’s statement on the future of HPMAs, Scottish Environment LINK has welcomed the commitment to build greater consensus while stressing the need to deliver on ecological outcomes.
Calum Duncan, Head of Conservation Scotland at the Marine Conservation Society and Convener of Scottish Environment LINK’s Marine Group, said:
“Scotland’s seas are in trouble. There is a globally recognised ocean emergency and an urgent need to restore marine life in the face of climate change.
“The evidence is absolutely clear that full protection of areas of our seas, like HPMAs, is a very effective conservation tool, which in turn can benefit the fishing industry. This approach is well established globally, and in line with the EU’s target of 10% strict protection by 2030. It must be matched if we’re to have hope of reversing the ocean emergency.
“While the scientific case for better marine management is inarguable, it’s also essential that the implementation is well managed and community voices are heard.
“The Cabinet Secretary’s commitment to build greater consensus across all stakeholders is welcome. There must be renewed commitment following the full analysis of all consultations. Our ocean needs action not words.
“What matters most is delivering ecological outcomes – and we must make progress urgently. It’s important that Scotland does not fall behind international standards.
“Scottish Environment LINK looks forward to continuing to engage constructively with these proposals to deliver marine protection that works for our communities and our planet.”
ENDS
Notes:
Scottish Environment LINK is the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment community, with over 40 member bodies representing a broad spectrum of environmental interests with the common goal of contributing to a more environmentally sustainable society. We are a Scottish Charity (SC000296) and a Scottish Company Limited by guarantee (SC250899).
June 26th, 2023 by moragThe Scottish Government must commit to a radical new system of farm funding to deal with climate change, environmental campaigners have said.
The call comes after new figures, published last week, show that climate emissions from agriculture have risen to become the second largest source of Scottish emissions.
The 2021 Scottish emissions statistics show that farming now emits more than the business sector, with only transport making a larger contribution to climate change.
The worrying figures come as Scotland missed its climate targets following a rebound in emissions after the pandemic.
The Scottish Government is introducing an Agriculture Bill which will create a new system of farm funding to replace the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.
The Farm for Scotland’s Future campaign, launched by a coalition of environmental and farmers’ groups, says that the new system must support farmers and crofters to produce food in ways that are better for nature and climate.
This can include reducing chemical fertilisers and pesticides, increasing the proportion of land farmed organically, and integrating trees onto productive farmland.
The latest figures follow a stark warning from the Climate Change Committee (Dec 2022) that progress on reducing emissions from agriculture was far too slow.
Pete Ritchie, Director of the food charity Nourish Scotland and Convener of Scottish Environment LINK’s Food and Farming Group, said:
“The way we farm is a significant driver of nature loss and a major source of climate emissions. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
“Many farmers and crofters want to produce food in ways that are better for the planet. But the current funding system doesn’t do enough to reward that.
“With agriculture now the second largest source of emissions in Scotland, it’s obvious that business as usual cannot be an option.
“We have a once in a generation opportunity to create a better system. It is essential that the Agriculture Bill delivers change – and quickly.”
ENDS
Notes:
June 14th, 2023 by moragScottish Environment LINK welcomes the publication of the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Bill. This bill establishes the framework to guide a transition to a more circular economy, including a commitment to introduce consumption reduction targets and plans to meet circular economy objectives. LINK members welcome this as a significant step to drive a more comprehensive approach to the much needed transition to a more circular economy. It also provides the Scottish Government with powers to legislate in new areas, enabling them to restrict the disposal of unsold goods and put a charge on single use packaging.
Phoebe Cochrane from Scottish Environment LINK said:
“The planet can’t sustain our current linear economic system and our economy needs reorienting to cut out waste and drastically reduce our consumption of raw materials. This bill goes some way to sending a clear message to businesses and investors that targets and policies will be steering our economy to one that is more circular. We now need the concrete initiatives to require, incentivise and facilitate a general culture of reuse.”
Kim Pratt, Circular Economy Campaigner for Friends of the Earth Scotland said:
“This new law has the potential to make a big difference to Scotland’s impact on the planet. The climate crisis is a global problem, so we need to take responsibility for the impact which happens outside of our borders due to our consumption of materials. It’s encouraging that the draft bill allows for consumption reduction targets to be set, and we urge the Scottish Parliament to work together and go further to ensure that these targets are strong enough to create a fair and sustainable circular economy for Scotland.”
LINK members are disappointed that the biological cycle, where renewable resources such as food, fibre and timber are created, is not addressed by this bill.
Pete Ritchie, Executive Director at Nourish Scotland said:
“Soils are the cornerstone of a circular economy and measures to ensure their health are conspicuous by their absence in this bill. The circular bioeconomy – closing the loop on nitrogen and phosphorous for example – must be a core consideration for the Bill and the plan.’’
It is also disappointing that the bill did not include specific measures to address particular problematic products or materials.
Catherine Gemmell, Scotland Conservation Officer for the Marine Conservation Society said:
“With an average of 160 litter items found per 100m of beach surveyed in Scotland, our volunteers continue to demonstrate the desperate need to move to a circular economy. We therefore welcome the proposed Circular Economy Bill, especially around introducing powers for charges, which we hope to see on single-use items like cups, and the intent to set targets to increase the amount of items we reuse. We hope to see clarity on the timings and details as the bill moves through parliament.
“Last year, our volunteers found over 30,000 wet wipes on Scottish beaches and plastic or polystyrene cups were recorded on 58% of our surveyed beaches. We need the Scottish Government to also introduce a ban on plastic in single-use wet wipes and disposable vapes, as well as the proposed legislation in this bill for charges. We know that charges, bans, deposit return schemes and targets all work to help increase how much we reuse items. This bill must be ambitious, for the sake of people and planet as it works its way through the Scottish Parliament.”
Catherine Gunby from Fidra said:
“Fidra welcomes the long-awaited Circular Economy Bill and the powers this gives to Scottish Ministers to set targets to reduce consumption, restrict the disposal of unsold consumer goods, impose charges on single use items and tighten up restrictions on household waste and recycling. Critical to the success of this Bill will be the need to reduce the use of harmful chemicals in products and materials and improve their transparency and traceability to ensure products remain in use for as long as possible and are able to be safely repurposed or recycled. If this doesn’t happen, we will continue to see items such as sofas having to be incinerated due to their persistent organic pollutant contamination which can cause harm to human health and the environment. In Scotland, that is over 125,000 sofas per year (ZeroWaste Scotland, 2016).
Barry Fisher, CEO of Keep Scotland Beautiful said:
“We welcome publication of the draft Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill and the range of powers it proposes – the legislation has potential to make a significant difference to Scotland’s environment and the issue of litter and associated pollution.
We were pleased to see the potential the Bill has to tackle our throwaway culture including the duty on Scottish Ministers to publish a 5-year strategy, the setting of consumption reduction targets, charges on single-use items, and the powers that will enable strengthening of the enforcement regimes associated with addressing roadside litter and flytipping. We hope too that, when enacted, the legislation will also have alongside it a commitment to a public engagement campaign that outlines the benefits that this Bill can bring.
We all need to consider what we buy, throw away, and how we treat the places we live, work and visit. By changing our own behaviours we can keep Scotland beautiful.”
Image: Catherine Gemmell
May 23rd, 2023 by moragStatement from Duncan Orr-Ewing, Chair of Scottish Environment LINK’s Deer Group:
“The reduction in the population of Scotland’s large and increasing deer population is urgently required to deliver a range of public outcomes related to the climate and nature emergency – including native woodland regeneration, peatland protection, and the creation of more diverse and resilient habitats for wildlife. We are satisfied that enhanced deer management can be delivered to the highest standards of animal welfare and best practice. We strongly support the Scottish Government’s proposals to improve the flexibility of deer management, based on the independent scrutiny of the Deer Working Group and its final recommendations. More than ever we need to make all of the tools available to Scotland’s skilled and experienced deer managers to deliver the urgent changes required for nature and for all of us.”
Image: Simon Jones
May 11th, 2023 by moragThe way we fund our farms is making climate change worse and risks our food security, according to a significant new report – which campaigners say makes the case for a radical approach to the upcoming Agriculture Bill.
Farm for Scotland’s Future: the case for change sets out how the Scottish government’s forthcoming Agriculture Bill can and must deliver for nature, climate and people through a transition to sustainable farming.
The report was commissioned by a campaign backed by 40 environment, farming and food organisations, and outlines the impact of agriculture on the climate and biodiversity in Scotland.
The report also highlights evidence that a warming climate and the continued decline of biodiversity are posing significant risks to our food producers through droughts, soil erosion and the loss of pollinators.
As it stands, agriculture is currently the third largest source of Greenhouse Gas emissions in Scotland, causing 18% of Scotland’s emissions in 2020. Current practices also make farming a major cause of wildlife loss. Scotland is ranked among the most nature-depleted countries in the world – the Biodiveristy Intactness Indicator ranked Scotland as 28th from bottom out of 240 countries. The report makes the case for reform and details farming practices which support nature, climate and food production with reference to key case studies in Scotland.
The main purpose of the upcoming Agriculture Bill is to rethink the current funding system for the sector, based around direct payments. The report shows that this system is unfair and inefficient, with the top 20% of claimants receiving 62% of the direct payments budget. A new system has the opportunity to incentivise ways of farming which prioritise climate and nature in harmony with food production, and contribute towards achieving a just transition.
Deborah Long, Scottish Environment LINK’s Chief Officer said:
“Scotland’s farmers and crofters play a vital role in producing food and managing our land. The new farm funding system must support them to do so in a sustainable way.
“But the current, decades-old system rewards land ownership, rather than good land use, and is failing to help the farmers who want to produce food while protecting the environment.
“Environmental crisis is already having an impact on food availability and cost. The Scottish government must deliver a new system that reflects the scale of the challenge and ensures that our farmers and crofters can produce food in climate- and nature-friendly ways.”
Ruth Taylor, Agriculture and Land Use Policy Manager at WWF Scotland, said:
“We know that nature-friendly farming brings benefits for people, animals, nature, and the climate. With lower emissions, healthy soils and livestock, and thriving nature, farming this way also makes good business sense.
“Research from WWF has shown that we have the potential to reduce our emissions and restore nature, while producing nutritious food that is accessible for all. However, the current policies suggested for agriculture get us less than halfway to where we need to be for Scotland to remain on track to reach net zero.
“This year, we have the opportunity to make sure Scotland leads the way on nature and climate-friendly farming. It is essential that we see strong leadership now from the Scottish Government to make sure that happens.”
Vicki Swales, Head of Land Use Policy at RSPB Scotland, said:
“This report underlines the important role farming must play in reviving the wildlife we have lost from our countryside over recent decades. As farmers ourselves, and as advisors to hundreds of other farms across Scotland, the RSPB sees the shift toward nature-friendly practices as essential if we are to improve the resilience of our food system.
“The Scottish public are deeply concerned about the loss of habitats and species. It is vital that MSPs take the opportunity of the Agriculture Bill to put sustainability, in every sense, at the heart of how we produce food and how we manage our land, as this will benefit us all.”
The campaign is supported by a wide range of environmental NGOs such as RSPB Scotland, WWF Scotland and the Woodland Trust and is advised by farmers’ groups.
The report was written by Ellie Brodie Consultancy for the Farm for Scotland’s Future campaign.
Read the report at www.farmforscotlandsfuture.scot/report.
Image credit: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com).
May 3rd, 2023 by moragA coalition of environmental groups has said that local communities must be at the heart of the roll out of improved protections for our seas, ahead of a debate in parliament (Wed).
The Scottish Government has committed to introducing Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) to support ecosystem recovery and protect against climate change. The network of HPMAs will cover at least 10% of Scotland’s seas, in line with international recommendations and the EU’s own 10% target. The coalition fully supports this commitment.
During the Scottish Government consultation on the proposal, many coastal and island communities expressed concern that restrictions on fishing would damage the sustainability of areas dependent on the industry.
In a fresh intervention, leading marine conservationists have said that both community and ecological interests must be central to decision making.
Scottish Environment LINK, a network of environmental charities, is calling on the Scottish Government to ensure local communities have a core role in the designation of these new highly protected sites.
Alongside a designation process led by science with communities at the heart, Scottish Environment LINK has said that the Scottish Government should develop test scenarios in collaboration with stakeholders to explore how protected areas can work alongside sustainable fisheries.
Calum Duncan, Convener of LINK’s Marine Group and Head of Conservation Scotland at the Marine Conservation Society, said:
“Our seas are a vital resource – providing jobs and food through our fishing industry, as well as wider environmental benefits, including acting as a major carbon sink.
“We face catastrophic risks to our ocean from over-exploitation and climate change. We must act now to recover nature at sea and help tackle the climate and nature crises.
“Protecting parts of our sea from damaging or extractive activity is a proven and effective way to help nature recover. We know that this can in turn benefit neighbouring fishers and other sea users. Scotland’s only existing no take zone was driven by the community itself – which is why it is crucial to have communities at the decision-making table.
“A process supported by science, and with the community engaged at the heart, can deliver proportionate and effective marine protection while benefiting from local and industry knowledge”
The community-led no take zone in north Lamlash Bay is Scotland’s only strictly protected area, broadly equivalent to a HPMA, and demonstrates the potential for success on a small scale. As well as ecological improvement over the last decade, the no take zone has had wider community and economic benefits.
Since 2010, the protected area in Lamlash Bay, Isle of Arran has shown a dramatic ecological improvement. Measured biodiversity has increased by 50%, while the populations of commercially important species are two to three times higher within the no take zone. The experience in Lamlash Bay clearly demonstrates the potential spillover benefits to Scottish fishers from even small areas of strict protection.
Howard Wood OBE, Co-Founder of Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) said:
“While COAST support HPMAs as they will reverse the decline in our marine environment, as COAST have shown on Arran over the past two decades, communities must be involved in both carefully choosing the areas and then in the ongoing monitoring of these areas.
“HPMAs must be brought in alongside other spatial measures that allow low impact fishing activities to both continue and thrive.”
End Notes
Cross-stakeholder letter to the Cabinet Secretary on HPMAs (sent 31 March): https://www.scotlink.org/publication/cross-stakeholder-letter-to-the-cabinet-secretary-on-hpmas/
LINK’s Frequently Asked Questions on HPMAs: https://www.scotlink.org/highly-protected-marine-areas-faqs/
LINK briefing on the evidence base for HPMAs: https://www.scotlink.org/evidence-base-briefing-on-hpmas/
Image credit: Lisa Kamphausen for NatureScot
March 28th, 2023 by moragOn his election as First Minister, Scottish Environment LINK has written to Humza Yousaf to congratulate him on his appointment, with the letter signed by 31 members of the environmental coalition. The letter urges strong leadership and action in a number of crucial areas, while acknowledging the progress already made in recent years, notably through the Edinburgh Declaration on biodiversity.
Scotland faces twin environmental crises of nature loss and climate change. The latest IPCC report, issued this month, made clear that humanity requires urgent action to protect our environment, and underlined the importance of restoring nature as part of this effort. A healthy environment with rich and diverse nature is fundamentally important to the health, wellbeing and prosperity of Scotland’s people. However, Scotland has suffered a high level of historic nature loss and this is accelerating further, with 1 in 9 species at risk of national extinction.
The letter calls on the First Minister to reaffirm the Scottish Government’s commitment to our natural environment across the following areas:
- Nature protection and restoration
- Farming and forestry
- Circular economy
- Just Transition and human rights
Scottish Environment LINK is the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment community, with over 40 member bodies representing a broad spectrum of environmental interests with the common goal of contributing to a more environmentally sustainable society.
Read the letter and list of signatories
Image credit: Sandra Graham
March 23rd, 2023 by Fanny RoyanezScottish Environment LINK, the umbrella body for over 40 environmental organisations, warned candidates for the SNP leadership not to scrap plans for Highly Protected Marine Areas if elected First Minister.
Existing measures for marine conservation in Scotland will not enable the scale of ecosystem recovery needed to meet Scottish Government targets to halt the decline of nature at sea. HPMAs if done well will support ocean recovery and deliver benefits for all.
LINK has been running a campaign – Create Ocean Recovery Zones – to encourage the public to support Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), which the Scottish Government is consulting on. To date, over 1,500 people have taken the action.
Calum Duncan, Head of Conservation Scotland at the Marine Conservation Society and convenor of Scottish Environment LINK’s Marine Group said:
“We all rely upon a healthy ocean, coastal communities most of all. We’re in the midst of an ocean emergency and all governments of the UK have failed to halt the decline of nature at sea, with declining seabed conditions and plummeting seabird populations of particular concern.
“Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) are a simple measure, proven worldwide to support ocean recovery, doubling sealife within their boundaries, overspilling into surrounding waters to benefit local fishers. Sustainable wildlife watching, education, research and enjoyment can also take place within such zones. Failing to implement HPMAs would be a massive backwards step. If we are to reverse the alarming decline of nature at sea, we must boost ocean recovery and support coastal communities long into the future.”
Earlier this month, members of Scottish Environment LINK signed a joint letter with members of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, calling on the leadership candidates to commit to strong action on nature and climate. To date only one of the candidates has responded.
End Notes
Ocean Recovery action: https://scotlink.eaction.online/oceanrecovery
Letter to candidates from SCCS/LINK: https://www.stopclimatechaos.scot/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SCCS-and-LINK-letter-to-SNP-leadership-candidates-3rd-March-2023.pdf