Why Scottish think-tank's report has the answers on climate change - Douglas Chapman

The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published this week lays out the brutal facts on the climate crisis.

The IPCC is clear. We must be transformational at every level of society in our approach to this emergency.

It is undoubtedly human activity that is causing global warming and as we watch on in horror at the extreme weather events of 2021, the window of opportunity to take responsibility with bold action is closing fast.

Palm trees are able to grow in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute and other parts of Scotland's west coast because of the North Atlantic Drift, an ocean current that is weakening because of climate change. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images

For Scotland, these two key issues of responsibility and opportunity are the reason why I have become involved in an innovative and bold action plan published this week by the Scottish think-tank, Common Weal.

Their new report, ’21 For 21: The climate change actions Scotland needs now’, which was written in collaboration with Dr Keith Baker of the Built Environment Asset Management Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University, focuses in on this important moment in our nation’s story, where we must marry ‘responsibility’ as part of the global community and ‘opportunity’ in terms of our abundant natural resources and skillset, to rise to the greatest challenge of our age.

Endorsed by prestigious authors of the IPCC, including Emeritus Professor Bill McGuire of University College London, who describes it as “a brilliant and imaginative initiative”, it outlines 21 climate action points that Scotland can take now to create a greener nation.

It is a vital political, social and economic call to arms, where Scots can become both stakeholders and guardians of our abundant resources through proposals such as a National Energy Company and a Scottish Energy Development Agency.

It deals with fuel poverty, it recognises the potential of our workforce and the importance of nurturing and developing talent and innovation to build a green new deal and a fairer economy that works for everyone.

‘21 For 21’ is a rallying cry to a country rich in renewable and economic possibilities.

The science is clear. In 2021 a sustainable and resilient Scotland has never been more important – for our planet and for our people. Only through courageous and comprehensive action can we reach this goal.

- Douglas Chapman is the MP for Dunfermline and West Fife and the SNP’s shadow spokesperson for small business, enterprise and innovation.