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Happy New Year everyone!
Climate Change is THE BIG CHALLENGE for 2008
At the start of the New Year it seems appropriate to look at the highs
and lows of 2007 in the context of the greatest challenge now facing society.
Towards the end of 2007 we learned that the year had been one of the warmest
ever recorded globally and it was surely no coincidence that the Nobel
Peace prize was awarded jointly to Al Gore and the UNIPCC.
In Bali we witnessed the unique spectacle of all the other nations turning
on the United States and forcing a long awaited shift of position from
them.
So what can we report from closer to home? Short-haul air remains a continuing
threat to the climate with the Edinburgh and Glasgow routes to London
generating over 100 flights per day. The good news is that there is a
better alternative. Our report 'The Railways Mean Business' shows that
this is not only bad for the environment - but it also does not make business
sense. We clearly showed that the train is a much more productive way
to travel to London.
Another piece of good news is the £50m awarded to our member organisation
Sustrans from the National Lottery. We look forward to many more miles
of active travel routes being created in Scotland.
In late November we held our 10th anniversary event in the civic splendour
of Edinburgh's Lothian Chambers and I was able to announce that Professor
Steve Stradling has agreed to become the new Chair of the Transform Scotland
Trust.
However, I am afraid that events in the Holyrood Parliament towards the
end of 2007 did not auger well for the climate change challenge. We witnessed
the scrapping of tolls on the Forth and Tay Road Bridges and commitments
of up to £4.2bn on a Second Forth Road Bridge. Transport remains
the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions and it is very
worrying that our political leaders appear not to be facing up to this
challenge.
2008 brings the much awaited Climate Change Bill to the Parliament and
we would urge all politicians to support the demanding targets that are
necessary. It is not just an environmental imperative but as Professor
Nicolas Stern so clearly told us in 2006 “it's an economic no-brainer”.
With best regards
Paul Tetlaw
Chair, TRANSform Scotland
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