Abstract targets
Yell has been “chosen” by the Scottish Government to be one of the six Scottish islands aiming to be carbon neutral by 2040.
For each of the islands, it is proposed to develop the following;
- In-depth carbon audits
- Community climate change action plans, and
- Climate change investment strategies
Carbon neutral Yell, with a population of under 1,000, will have 35 large wind turbines sited on prime peat.
However, this is of no consequence, as apparently peat that has taken thousands of years to form, can be offset with carbon credits gained from land elsewhere and doing something “green” with it.
In the push to deliver these net zero targets, there is strangely no mention given to our biodiversity, even though Shetland is world renowned for its wildlife, recently featuring on David Attenborough’s Wild Isles.
Worryingly, the SIC makes no reference to nature in its “Our Ambition” plan, and although Shetland has been celebrating the Climate Change Festival with great fanfare, there is no mention of a Biodiversity Crisis Festival.
There is a noticeable absence of any plans for future land use for nature, tree planting, habitat restoration etc.
There is growing public support for nature and this is reflected in initiatives such as “Species on the Edge” and the “Shetland Peatland Project” but community wishes are of no consequence as the islands are turned into an industrial landscape.
NHS Shetland pioneered the “prescription for nature” initiative but this is a non-starter, given the rate of green washing taking place.
It is obvious that the local council, who are representatives of the community, place no value on our precious environment and are content to see it destroyed in order to hit abstract targets set by the Scottish Government, at any cost.
Save Shetland
Ernie Ramaker (Wormadale)
Shetland News — free to read
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