IN lamenting the lack of progress in tackling the consequences of climate change Dr Matt Winning calls for personal and political action (“Climate change: time to take tough steps,” The Herald, August 9). Part of the solution is perhaps just around the corner.
As we emerge from the chaos of Brexit there is one certainty. The destructive impacts of the Common Agricultural Policy will be no more – crofters, foresters and farmers will no longer look to Brussels for handouts but instead will depend on the UK and/or Scottish governments to decide how public subsidy supports the rural economy. This provides a unique opportunity to direct all future subsidy towards environmental goals. Habitat protection and creation should be the primary objective. Paying land managers to work with nature, creating wildlife-rich field margins in the lowlands and expanding native woodlands in the uplands, for example, will bring huge benefits, from capturing carbon in vegetation and soils to biodiversity recovery and flood protection.
At the wider level we should look to the sky. The richest people on the planet, which includes most of the UK population, are defined by those who take to the air for business or pleasure. Dr Winning says he is proud that “Scotland is undoubtedly at the vanguard of action on climate”. If so, what is the Scottish Government doing about Air Passenger Duty? This was supposed to be an “environmental” tax when introduced many years ago but most politicians today appear to have forgotten the green bit. Getting rid of APD is a daft idea, dreamt up to curry favour with aviation business interests who have absolutely no need for more icing on the booming air travel cake. Instead as APD becomes a Scottish Government responsibility, as part of the devolution process, we should demand that all revenue from APD should be directed towards environmental measures designed to combat the impacts of climate change. Top of my list would be the protection of Old Growth Forests. The next time I buckle up the seat belt, aware that I am about to put far more carbon into the atmosphere than through any other activity, it would be good to know that a bit of my ticket cost is being spent on the protection of the greatest carbon stores on the plant – from tropical rain forest to the ancient pinewoods of Scotland. And every passenger on every flight would soon understand why climate change is for real and they are part of the solution as well as the problem.
For those such as Dr Charles Wardrop who challenge the consensus view of climate change (Letters, August 13) these actions are still necessary. Repairing and restoring our lost biodiversity should be a priority whatever your view on climate change.
Dave Morris,
2 Bishop Terrace,
Kinnesswood, Kinross.
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