In the face of the cost of living crisis, major changes are urgently needed to decarbonise the Scottish economy, a new report says.
The publication, released Thursday by the Justice Transition Council, said such a move would also benefit those most in need and secure jobs.
The Independent Expert Advisory Committee aims to help Scotland achieve a carbon neutral economy while ensuring fairness for all.
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“If it were not for an investment-led recovery, it would have been an unjust transition,” the group said in its report. “We can build a clean, value-creating economy for the future. But we need to deliver on time.”
It said it was looking for “ambitious early indicators that transformative change will be achieved”, adding: “Scotland’s decarbonisation transition is already underway against the backdrop of widening inequalities and a growing cost of living emergency post-pandemic. middle.
“Government policy needs to correct these inequalities, not widen them.”
The group said annual net-zero investment would need to grow more than five-fold by 2030, and encouraged the Scottish government in its review of the Smith Commission to propose expanded fiscal and monetary leverage to fund a just transition.
The country’s energy transmission and distribution infrastructure requires significant investment, the report said, and called for a clear “energy roadmap” to make the most of new supply chains for clean generation and transmission.
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It also highlighted the fact that more households are living in fuel poverty as the cost of living crisis continues and said urgent action is needed to improve household energy efficiency to reduce energy bills.
The organization highlights the value of high-quality, affordable public transportation, especially for low-income people.
It said: “Rapid improvement and expansion of mass public transport must be a priority for the government in order to provide public transport workers with higher quality services and well-paid, secure employment.
“Continued failures here ensure that existing inequalities are locked in and exacerbated as we decarbonize.”
Farmers, smallholders and local communities should be protected by future agricultural support as they reduce carbon emissions, the report added.
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Professor Jim Skea, chair of the committee, said: “Today’s report is about the practicalities of a just transition for Scotland.
“We have identified strategic opportunities, risks and barriers, and the actions needed to address them.
“Scotland’s approach to these complex challenges has attracted worldwide interest and admiration.
“This ambition now needs to be matched by the actions of governments and society as a whole, which has substantially improved the livelihoods and well-being of people across the country as we decarbonise rapidly and at scale.”
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Hannah Carmichael is PA Scottish political reporter.
