Too much hot air: hypocrisy of our 'green' political leaders

Published on Sunday 18 March 2007 00:06

THEY have spent the last month urging the electors to turn green and help save the planet from global warming.

In the competition for the environmental vote, Scottish and Westminster politicians of all parties have been encouraging people to save energy in their homes and businesses to cut down on harmful greenhouse gases.

But now Scotland on Sunday can reveal that the political parties in Scotland are failing to practise what they preach, while official buildings such as the new Holyrood parliament and Bute House, the First Minister's official residence, are also leaking heat.

A thermal imaging survey commissioned by Scotland on Sunday shows that party offices used by the Conservatives and the SNP have energy efficiency problems revealed by telltale red "hotspots".

It also shows that the managers of the 414m Scottish parliament building have still not managed to eradicate the heat loss problems in the building's upper floors first spotted two years ago. Even the headquarters of the Green Party is not perfect with heat leaking from some windows.

Red and white areas show the highest temperatures, where most of the heat is escaping. Blue, green and purple indicate temperatures in the middle of the scale, with black at the coolest end of the range.

Ideally, a well-insulated building should reveal consistent temperatures across its surface given an identical construction and material type.

Earlier this month, Labour Chancellor Gordon Brown called on households to do more to cut greenhouse gases by making homes better insulated and more fuel-efficient. Brown said stand-by switches on electrical goods had to go, as did old-fashioned lightbulbs, which are less efficient than modern equivalents.

In September last year, Tory leader David Cameron announced a scheme aimed at encouraging more consumers to install micro-renewables.

And the SNP, who want to turn Scotland into the renewable energy powerhouse of Europe, includes a key section on energy efficiency in policy documents.

According to the IRT survey, Bute House, the official home of First Minister Jack McConnell in Charlotte Square, reveals several areas of temperature "inconsistency," showing heat loss in red and yellow. This was mainly found at wall junctions and by windows.

The Scottish Parliament shows increased temperatures in red and white spots at the top of the building. Experts say that water is seeping through the outside wall into the building, ruining the insulation.

The headquarters of the SNP in McDonald Road, Edinburgh, reveal inconsistent temperatures across its surface, with increased temperatures visible below several of the lower storey windows,

The headquarters of the Scottish Tories, in Princes Street, reveal heat escaping at wall junctions. Experts suggest this is due to missing or poor insulation.

Environmental groups and energy experts said politicians should "practise what they preach. It seems a bit unfair to preach to the public about energy efficiency when their own buildings are not in order," said Alan Little, of energy efficiency specialists IRT Surveys.

Duncan McLaren, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "Politicians who make claims about the environment should put their own houses in order. More than 20% of energy is lost in this way and that is a substantial chunk."

A source close to the First Minister said: "Bute House is a listed building and managed by the National Trust for Scotland. It is difficult to make changes to it and it should not be a surprise to anyone that it is not as well insulated as modern buildings."

A spokesman for the Scottish Greens, which has its office in Lyne Street, Edinburgh, said: "We have done what we can with the limitations of that building. But there is always room for improvement.

"All the other political parties talk green in the lead up to an election - but it turns out to be nothing more than hot air. This seems to be what we are seeing now."

An SNP spokesman said: "The SNP is committed to building a greener Scotland. That's why at our conference this weekend we have announced more measures to help the environment such as the introduction of a carbon offset scheme."

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Parliament insisted the managers of the Holyrood building were committed to the highest environmental standards. "Just last month the Scottish Parliament received an ISO14001, a prestigious certificate of its environmental management system," she added.

Top scientists attack 'Hollywoodisation' of global warming

TWO leading British scientists have hit out at the "Hollywoodisation" of fears over climate change.

Professors Paul Hardaker and Chris Collier of the Royal Meteorological Society have criticised peers who they accuse of "overplaying" the global warming message.

The pair placed the highly respected American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at the centre of their criticism.

They say some researchers make claims about possible future impacts that cannot be justified by the science. They think the "Hollywoodisation" of weather and climate only works to create confusion in the public mind.

The 2004 smash-hit film The Day After Tomorrow blurred the lines between science and entertainment, with its depiction of catastrophic consequences after global warming caused large areas of the Arctic ice shelf to break off and melt.

Hardaker and Collier argue for a more sober explanation of the uncertainties about possible future changes in the Earth's climate.

They criticised a strongly worded statement released by the AAAS at its last annual meeting in San Francisco in February, which said: "As expected, intensification of droughts, heat waves, floods, wildfires and severe storms is occurring, with a mounting toll on vulnerable ecosystems and societies.

"These events are early-warning signs of even more devastating damage to come, some of which will be irreversible."

According to Hardaker and Collier, this may well be true, but convincing evidence has not yet emerged.

Collier told the BBC: "It's certainly a very strong statement. I suspect it refers to evidence that hurricanes have increased as a result of global warming; but to make the blanket assumption that all extreme events are increasing is a bit too early yet.

"I've no doubt that global warming is occurring, but we don't want to undermine that case by crying wolf."

Hardaker, the society's chief executive, agreed: "There's no evidence to show we're all due for very short-term devastating impacts as a result of global warming; so I think these statements can be dangerous where you mix in the science with unscientific assumptions."

The AAAS said it would not be commenting directly on the professors' remarks. A spokesperson told the BBC: "We feel that the recent consensus statement of the AAAS Board of Directors speaks for itself and stands on its own."

Hardaker and Collier have contributed to a pamphlet, Making Sense of the Weather and Climate.

CHRISTOPHER CLAIRE