GREENS SAY CAPITAL’S LIBDEM/SNP COALITION FAILING ON CLIMATE CHANGE
A ‘report card’ on action to tackle climate change released today, shows that Edinburgh Council failing on cutting its own climate changing pollution, according to the council’s Green Group.
They claim that the official figures revealed in a report to the Council’s Policy & Strategy Committee this morning,(and which you can read below) show that over its term of office the current LibDem/SNP coalition have achieved only 0.97% reduction in climate-changing pollution in each of the five years that its been in power – compared to a Council stated target of 5% reduction per year.
They  further assert that pollution reduction has actually slowed since the current LibDem/SNP Administration came to power. Prior to 2007 the average annual reduction was 1.2%.
Greens’ Environment spokesperson Councillor Steve Burgess said:-
“Its own figures show the Council itself is failing to cut back on climate-changing pollution. At a time when it’s vital for the capital of Scotland to be leading the way on climate change, the current LibDem/SNP administration is failing.
“Going as far back as 2010, Green Councillors have called for reports on specific proposals to reduce pollution, such as improving energy efficiency and generating renewable energy, but we are still waiting for these.”
But as you might expect, the administration denies these claims outright. The committee convener, LibDem Councillor Jenny Dawe, dismissed them as ‘pure electioneering’. The SNP/LibDem councillors on the committee explained that the main problem in reconciling the figures which Councillor Burgess produced with their own is that the Green Group’s figures relate to the wrong time period.
There are as yet no figures on reductions in emissions for the two years to 2012, and the SNP/LibDems say that  the Greens’ five year figures actually include two years when the current administration was not yet in power.
In addition the report does not take account of any improvements which the administration claim has been made to the housing stock owned by the council. Councillor Paul Edie said to The Reporter after the meeting:-“Seventy five per cent of our houses now meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, and energy conservation is a big part of that.”
The elected members heard that projects such as Cables Wynd where the council have installed a communal heating system will only improve the council’s record in the future.
The Housing Convener, Councillor Paul Edie, said during the discussion at the meeting:-“We have made a massive investment in housing and I think that the back of the fag packet arithmetic that the Greens have used means that their addendum is not worthy of support.” Unfortunately we do not have (and did not have) a copy of the addendum which had been produced to the meeting to try and change what was decided.
The meeting lasted a mere 45 minutes.
The person in the room who asked most questions or put forward amendments at the meeting was Councillor Burgess. The next meeting of this committee will not take place until the next administration is voted in at the beginning of May 2012.
Item No 6 – Scottish Climate Change Declaration – Annual Report 2011-1
