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Scots take the lead in sustainability
Wednesday August 13th 2008. Posted: 11:01
Scotland has been praised in a BT-sponsored report for its ambition to deliver sustainable development.
The independent study cites its draft Climate Change Bill proposal, in which it promises an 80 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050, as a world-leading example. It also outlines how Scotland is developing policies to place it well ahead of most other countries when it comes to aspirations and targets. But the report, which examines the sustainable development and other relevant strategies of every region in Scotland, England and Wales, calls for a more “joined-up” approach. It recommends better sharing of best practice and more integration across regional boundaries, stating that, despite the growing importance of sustainable development in national and regional politics, there is “little consistency in the way it is addressed”. The report, Making Sustainability Real - A Challenge for Regions, says: “There is a real need to improve the way in which the experience gained from initiatives is shared and used to stimulate further good practice.” Commissioned by the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED), it highlights a concern that the UK’s information communication technology (ICT) is “being surprisingly overlooked as a key enabler for sustainable development and should be reassigned a higher priority”. It says: “ICT has fallen significantly down the agenda of more recent strategies, largely as a result of the success of regional campaigns to promote access to broadband services. “There is some interest in the role of ICT in reducing the need to travel, although only a few strategies make a clear link between ICT and sustainable development.” Transport Scotland is described as a “notable exception” and is recognised for developing the UK’s first comprehensive travel plan to reduce carbon emissions, which is underpinned by the ethos that “the greenest mile is a mile not travelled”. Scotland is also hailed for actively promoting smart measures such as teleworking, leading to a higher proportion of teleworking than other UK regions. However, UK-wide, the report says digital inclusion is not being covered as well as it was and, given the importance of ICT knowledge and skills to the economy and the environment, it should have greater prominence in future strategies. BT Scotland director Brendan Dick said: “We believe this report is a useful contribution to the debate on sustainable development. “There are some excellent initiatives being undertaken in Scotland and other parts of the UK. But we must make sure that successful initiatives are taken up across the UK as a whole, not just in one region or area. “BT knows from its own experience that ICT plays a vital role in sustainable development, significantly reducing travel and helping people achieve a good balance between work and home life. “More than 10,000 BT people work from home and 64,000 more are equipped to work flexibly. “Conferencing by phone and the internet is another major contributor to sustainability, saving 97,000 tonnes on BT’s carbon footprint last year and eliminating 860,000 face-to-face meetings. “In our experience, such use of ICT also boosts the bottom line, which is good news for businesses in the current financial climate.”
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