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CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY
CLIMATE CHANGE

FOR DISCUSSION

Title: 		Response to Royal Society of Edinburgh Inquiry –
		“Facing up to Climate Change”
Prepared by: 	Gavin Miles, Strategic Policy and Planning Officer

Introduction
1. In the Autumn of 2009 the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) launched an inquiry on
how Scotland can respond to climate change. Other RSE inquiries such as the
recent “Future of Scotland’s Hills and Islands” have raised public and political
awareness of issues in Scotland and have helped inform the development of public
policy.

2. “Facing up to Climate Change” will run throughout 2010 and will report in early
2011. It has called for evidence to be given to it by 1 May 2010. A brief for written
evidence is included as annex 1 to this paper. The following section sets out a draft
CNPA response to the inquiry. The suggested response focuses on aspects of
climate change that the CNPA and the National Park is best able to add value to.

3. The response will be sent to the RSE with any changes or additions agreed through
the Board’s discussion of this paper.

Gavin Miles
19 March 2010
gavinmiles@cairngorms.co.uk

A Draft CNPA Response

1. The Cairngorms National Park was established in September 2003 and the
Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) became fully operational on 1
September 2003. The purpose of national park authorities is to ensure the
coordinated and collective delivery of four statutory aims of Scottish National Parks:
	a) To conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area
	b) To promote sustainable use of the natural resources of the area
	c) To promote understanding and enjoyment (including enjoyment in the form
	of recreation) of the special qualities of the area by the public
	d) To promote sustainable economic and social development of the area’s
	communities

2. The CNPA is designed to be an enabling organisation, promoting partnership
working and giving leadership to all those involved in the Cairngorms. The Park
Authority does not duplicate the work of other organisations, but is here to ensure
there is a joined-up approach to projects and initiatives that help to meet the four
aims of the Park. The main tool for ensuring this is the development and
implementation of a National Park Plan – a strategic management plan with a longterm
(25 year) vision and 5 year review period. The current National Park Plan runs
from 2007-2012.

3. The CNPA itself is a small organisation, with around 60 employees. It is committed
to reducing its own carbon emissions and adapting to climate change. In doing so it
faces similar challenges to rural businesses and communities in many parts of
Scotland.

4. In our response to the inquiry we have tried to highlight issues that we feel are
particularly significant within the National Park or where we have particular
experience. Both Scottish National Parks are ideal places to test Scotland’s ability to
adapt to climate change and to reduce emissions that contribute to it. We would
welcome the opportunity to tell the inquiry more about some the specific problems
encountered here as well as the examples of work to address them in more detail.
Climate Change and the Cairngorms National Park

5. The Cairngorms National Park contains a lot of stored carbon in woodland and
forestry, peat land and soils. It is also sensitive to the effects of climate change:
	a) Nearly 40% of the Park is designated for nature conservation, and 25% is
	designated as being of European importance. It holds 25% of the UK’s rare
	and threatened species. Many of the important species and habitats in the
	Cairngorms are significant because they exist at the margins of their natural
	limits and are therefore vulnerable to changing climatic factors.
	b) Around 16000 live in the Park in dispersed rural communities. As elsewhere
	in rural Scotland, much housing is poorly insulated, requiring significant
	energy to heat, and much social and business activity requires the use motor
	transport. Settlement in the Park is frequently within the main river valleys
	and can be at risk from extreme flood events.

6. The National Park Plan provides a focus for the public sector and other partners to
work in the National Park. There are already many projects aimed at improving
awareness of the effects of climate change and the ways the individuals and
businesses can adapt as well as reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The review of
the National Park Plan will help to embed more action and will prioritise action to
reduce emission of greenhouse gases. Because the Park Plan is implemented by
many partners and is with significant support from the public sector, this should be
integrated throughout the public sector. How the land of National Park is managed
to maximise carbon storage will be a key theme in our development of the next Park
Plan.

Energy Generation

7. Public acceptance of increasing investment in renewable energy and its infrastructure
appears likely to hinge on the transparency of the decisions made to provide it.
Land-based wind energy generation has so far been the most obvious manifestation
of renewable energy and can be divisive because if the inherent landscape and visual
effects.

8. Within the National Park, consent for the upgrading of the Beauly-Denny
transmission line was recently made in order to facilitate future renewable energy
generation in the north of Scotland. The CNPA was one of many objectors to the
proposed route for upgrading not on the principle of upgrading but because few
alternatives had been seriously considered. Press reporting of the decision served to
further give an impression that the route was based on economic reasons and that
other concerns were secondary. There appears to be a risk of alienating some of
the public who live where the main generating and transmission infrastructure is
located because of a need to supply the UK’s main population and energy use
centres.

9. The use of renewable heating in buildings is likely to be made in a variety of ways.
Solar, geothermal and woodfuel sources are all used within the Cairngorms National
Park. With a clear supply of managed forestry, it is likely that woodfuel will play an
increasing role in heating supplies in the Park as technology becomes cheaper and
the cost of oil and gas rises. more information on the promotion of woodfuel in the
National Park can found on this website: www.lowcarboncairngorms.org/woodfuel/

10. The development of microrenewables is constrained by the capital costs of
installation. Although not the only factor, the cost of housing in the Cairngorms
National Park is amongst the highest in Scotland when compared to the incomes in
the Park, so investment in microrenewables by householders may be limited.

11. In the National Park, as across many parts of rural Scotland, the greatest barrier to
cutting energy use is the energy efficiency of the current buildings and particularly
housing stock. Few buildings are insulated adequately and many are constructed in
ways that mean innovative insulating materials or techniques would be required to
achieve improved insulation. A wide variety of tenures also mean that
improvements to properties are not always the responsibility of the resident who
pays to heat the building. It is also worth noting that the National Park reflects
other parts of rural Scotland in relying heavily on use of the private car.

Land Use

12. We have used land in Scotland for a variety of purposes in place and time. Providing
a clear strategy for the use of land for a variety purposes is the key to using it
efficiently. This is exactly the approach that we are trying to develop in the
Cairngorms National Park because it allows us to coordinate the delivery of the aims
of the Park. It is worth noting that so many rural land uses (and land area) are
supported by the public sector that it is both the biggest barrier and biggest
opportunity to changing rural land use activities.

Buildings

13. Adapting building and housing stock to better cope with extreme weather events is
often a relatively simple procedure, but as in changes to make them more energy
efficient, relies on people’s and government’s willingness to pay for the changes
needed. Clearly this is more straightforward in the planning and development of
new buildings, where measures can be designed from the outset. However, even for
new buildings, knowledge and expertise on how to adapt is patchy across the
regulatory authorities, professional planning and design services, and development
industry. In addition, while the public are aware of the some of the problems
associated with extreme weather events, there does not yet appear to be a
mainstream understanding of their own role in adapting to them or avoiding the
consequences.

14. Government can ensure business/domestic energy efficiency measures are met by
taking a long term view of how they are financed and the incentives that will
encourage them. For many organizations and individuals, the one-off costs of
improvements or changes appear high. Although there are some incentives and loan
schemes to help, they are targeted at a very small proportion of the total number of
buildings where change is needed.

15. The obstacles to implementing the measures envisaged in the Climate Change Act in
the planning and building regulations are linked to the knowledge and understanding
of the subject by the regulators and the customers. Neither part has sufficient
understanding of the problems, the most appropriate responses or the significance of
the longer term environmental, social and economic justification.

Transport

16. The CNPA’s own transport emissions can be cut by 30% by 2020 through a range or
measures such as minimising travel, using more fuel efficient transport and making
better use of information technology. Nevertheless, there is a clear tension for any
organisation with a remit over a wide geographic area with limited viable public
transport links between different parts. However, the difficulties faced by the CNPA
or any other public sector organisation are minor compared to those of individuals
or businesses in the same area for whom realignment of resources to reduce
emissions may be more difficult and more significant.

Annex 1. Facing Up to Climate Change – Brief for Written evidence

Climate is changing and the trends in statistics on flooding, precipitation and temperature in
Scotland over the last 40 years have already required changes in our approach to risk and
uncertainty. Legislation has now been set in place, notably the UK Climate Change Act with
a statutory target for the UK to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050,
and the Climate Change (Scotland) Act with a reduction target of 42% in Scotland by 2020.
At European Union level, Member States have agreed to increase the share of renewable
energy to 20% by 2020 and the Scottish Government has set itself a target of 50% of
Scotland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020. In order to reduce emissions, the
Scottish Government’s Climate Change Delivery Plan includes targets of:
	- A largely de-carbonised heat sector by 2050 with significant progress by 2030 through a
	combination of reduced demand and energy efficiency, together with a massive increase
	in the use of renewable or low carbon heating
	- Almost complete decarbonisation of road transport by 2050 with significant progress by
	2030 through wholesale adoption of electric cars and vans, and significant
	decarbonisation of rail by 2050
	- A comprehensive approach to ensure that carbon (including the cost of carbon) is fully
	factored into strategic and local decisions about rural land use

However, the gap between the necessary policies and where we are now, is large.
Certainly the capacity of a government to implement changes, particularly where great
uncertainty or long timescales are involved, depends fundamentally on public
engagement and effective institutional structures. In order to inform the work of the
Inquiry, the Committee would welcome views on some of the following issues where
people/organisations have experience or expertise:

Individuals

	- Do you perceive the changing weather patterns in Scotland and globally as affecting you
	and/or your organisation?
	- What are the impacts of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act on you and/or your
	organisation?
	- What do you plan to do in response to these factors over the next 5 – 10 years?
	- What are the main barriers to change for you and/or your organisation?
	- If you own or run a business, what are the barriers preventing you from exploiting the
	opportunities in the move to a low-carbon economy and society?
	- How could your transport emissions be cut by 30% by 2020, and what are the barriers
	to achieving this?
	- How will you improve the energy efficiency of your building?

Organisations

	- Do you perceive the changing weather patterns in Scotland and globally as affecting you
	and/or your organisation?
	- What are the impacts of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act on the goals and activities of
	your organisation in terms of investment and exposure to risk?
	- What do you plan to do in response to these factors over the next 5 – 10 years?	
	- How integrated is your response with other organisations in similar or related fields?
	- What are the main barriers to change for you and/or your organisation?
	- What are the relative merits for your organisation of a carbon tax; emissions trading;
	energy regulations for performance standards; or incentive schemes?

Energy generation

	- What do you see as the issues with public acceptance of increasing investments in
	renewable energy and its associated infrastructure?
	- How do you see 1 in 10 buildings being heated by renewable heat technologies by 2020?
	- What are the institutional, organisational and financial barriers to meeting the 50%
	target of renewable energy by 2020?
	- Is there sufficient action to exploit the potential of microrenewables?
	- What are the obstacles to cutting energy use?

Land use
	- How can we use our land most efficiently for energy, agriculture, and forestry to
	reduce carbon emissions and increase carbon storage, while providing food security,
	public amenity, and wildlife habitats?
	- What do you see as the major barriers to changing rural land-use activities in this way?

Buildings
	- What is your view on how we can adapt our building/housing stock to cope with a
	greater incidence of extreme weather events?
	- How should Government ensure that business/domestic energy efficiency measures are
	met?
	- What are the current obstacles in the current planning and building regulations to
	implementing the measures envisaged in the Climate Change Act?

Transport
	- How could your organisation’s transport emissions be cut by 30% by 2020, and what
	are the barriers to achieving this?

Submissions

It would be helpful if submissions were kept to 4 pages or under, and sent by 1 May 2010
to mrands@royalsoced.org.uk. Alternatively, hard copies can be addressed to:

Dr Marc Rands, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22-26 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PQ