| Allan Wilson:
The debate has
shown the enormous challenges that sustainable development presents. It
is a topic that, as we have seen, covers a wide range of issues—issues
such as social justice—that touch on the individual, the family and everyone
on the planet. Climate change is at the forefront of our minds. Sustainable
development is a subject that requires continuous effort over many years,
and it is therefore a task that depends on a commitment. The Scottish Executive
has made that commitment. We made it in the first programme for government.
We continued that commitment in our second programme for government and
we are engaged in maximising the opportunities for sustainable development
along that long road.
Commitment is
crucial, but it has to be followed through with delivery. Delivery of sustainable
development means doing things differently; it does not necessarily mean
big spending programmes. For example, the new electricity contract for
the Scottish Executive and associated bodies is saving us money. We do
not have to pay the climate change levy on our electricity supply. Our
supplies will not be generating carbon dioxide. By tempering our specification
for electricity supplies to include that wider goal, we have maximised
sustainable development.
Andy Kerr talked
about small-scale hydro schemes. Those will be eligible for funding from
the renewables obligation (Scotland) scheme, but there are no longer any
suitable locations to build further large-scale hydro plants because of
their significant environmental impact. Andy Kerr made a useful suggestion,
which will be taken into consideration in the consultation.
Adopting our
greening government policy statement will make everyone in the Scottish
Executive face strategic development decisions every day. Recycling, reuse
and waste reduction are key objectives. Adopting the necessary practices
will reduce our waste costs and improve our environment.
I am happy to
accept the thrust of Robin Harper's amendment, which has much in common
with the FOES report card that Fiona McLeod referred to. Like Sam Galbraith,
I am grateful to Kevin Dunion for his sage and penetrating input to the
ministerial group on sustainable Scotland. To answer Kenny MacAskill's
point, that group also includes my good colleague Alasdair Morrison.
The group is
making progress on many of the issues raised in Robin Harper's amendment,
and will be discussing the indicators next month. Renewable energy has
been tackled in a number of policy areas, including climate change, the
waste strategy and energy policy. The group will meet four or five times
a year, and work also continues between those meetings. Next month, we
will be publishing a new greening government policy and we expect to report
on that annually.
Robin Harper
made a number of specific points about biodiversity. Scottish Natural Heritage,
whose funding we will increase during the lifetime of this session by a
sum total of £40 million, and many other local environmental organisations
are fully involved in developing biodiversity action. That is a huge task,
which is bringing results, but it requires a change in attitude, not just
by SNH but by everyone, and that change in attitude does not depend on
money alone.
Kenny MacAskill
and Robin Harper both mentioned recycling. As Sam Galbraith said, the strategic
waste fund will provide £50.4 million over the next three years to
implement area waste plans. The Executive has been talking to big companies
such as Boots and Halfords about recycling—that is something that Sylvia
Jackson mentioned.
Robin Harper:
Will the minister confirm that that £50.4
million is going to be devoted to recycling and not to incineration?
Allan Wilson:
The Executive is providing £50.4 million
to local authorities over the next three years to help them to implement
their area waste plans.
I am glad that
Murray Tosh accepts that considerable progress has been made in sustainable
development, as set out in our programme for government. He criticised
Kenny MacAskill for his speech, but I think that he is guilty of recycling
Kenny's amendment from last year's debate on the sustainable development
strategy. The Parliament rejected that amendment, and I think that that
was a good decision. A bad SNP amendment last year does not become a good
Tory amendment this year, even if Murray Tosh moves it much more eloquently
than Kenny MacAskill did at the previous debate. We have strong strategies
on social exclusion, on transport, on climate change and on waste, all
of which are brought together in our programme for government. We do not
need another layer of strategy. What is important is action and moving
on that.
Murray Tosh
accused us of relabelling old bottles, but the Government knows that social
justice is dependent on a stable economy and that a stable economy, by
its very definition, is a sustainable economy. A market that depends on
excessive exploitation of any of the world's resources—people, environment
or commodities—has a negative knock-on effect on society. The Government
proposals on climate change, the aggregates tax and other changes to fiscal
structures will facilitate the natural economic forces to show the real
value of sustainability. That is new. As in many other areas of our policy,
we have bound together the social and economic benefits to make sustainability
a vital part of that equation.
Bruce Crawford:
I am glad that the minister has covered so many of the points that were made
during the debate. In my speech, I mentioned further education and the need for
more interconnectedness so that students can deal with sustainability when they
finish their education. Does the minister intend to deal with that point in his
response?
Allan Wilson:
If Mr Crawford will give me a chance, I will
get on with it.
Murray Tosh
raised a specific point about COSLA getting no money and the Scottish civic
forum doing it for free. I think that those are separate issues. We supported
COSLA to meet the Prime Minister's challenge on the development of local
authority agenda 21 plans by the end of 2000, and that task has been accomplished.
Scottish civic forum work on Rio plus ten will be paid for. We have allocated
£20,000 for that and we are working in partnership with Shell and
BP to deliver that. Local authorities will be able to apply to the sustainable
action fund for support in implementing local agenda 21 strategies.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
made an interesting contribution. Scientific American journal has just
published an interesting edition called "Are We Almost Tapped Out?", which
shows that his concerns are the subject of considerable scientific study.
We look forward to the results.
On Bruce Crawford's
point, it is good to see that the SNP recognises the breadth of issues
that need to be addressed in sustainable development. It is a huge task
for any Government. Sustainable development is not just an environmental
issue; it is an issue of breadth of vision and respect for the future.
Our programme for government reflects that breadth and I look forward to
the SNP supporting us in taking that forward. It is legitimate to ask whether
the nats considered the role of education in sustainable development and
we are entitled to ask why they have never brought the issue before Parliament.
Fiona McLeod:
rose—
Allan Wilson:
Sustainable development is a major component
of the five-to-14 curriculum, but it is not just formal education that
is needed.
Members:
Give way.
The Deputy Presiding
Officer: Order.
Allan Wilson:
We plan to influence all sectors of society with relevant approaches. The
major push will be for a public awareness campaign later this year, which
many people mentioned.
Globalisation
has given us problems to overcome, but it has also provided us with opportunities
to see the world in a more positive manner. Interdependency has never been
clearer. Reckless exploitation of the planet in one area of the world often
has a negative impact on other areas. Careful stewardship and utilisation
of the world's abundant resources can have benefits for us all. Fergus
Ewing should note that cars in Poolewe produce greenhouse gases too.
A good question
is where nationalism fits into an outward-looking and inclusive view of
the world. I contend that the answer is nowhere. Internationalism is surely
the answer. While the rest of the 21st century world looks beyond the political
constructs of the nation state, nationalism, as a philosophy, stands against
the tide of history.
I was interested
to hear Bruce Crawford quote Einstein. I am happy to quote Albert Einstein
too. [Laughter.] Colleagues, wait for it. He said:
"Nationalism
is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind."
In conclusion,
our attitude to sustainable development is strongly centred on people.
It used to be difficult to make people understand the consequences of failure
to behave sustainably. I believe that the floods of last year changed that.
At a stroke, we made the connection between excessive use of energy, generation
of greenhouse gases and devastation of people's homes. Today's debate,
therefore, has been vital: it is vital that we maintain that commitment
and that we understand our role in sustainable development across the world.
It is essential that we continue to work together for the prosperity of
Scotland.
I commend the
motion to Parliament and ask that it reject all the amendments that have
been lodged.
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