Aberdeen City Council’s Priorities• Environment Management Policy (2001)

– Climate Change - carbon emissions

– Resource Use

– Sustainable Procurement

– Waste Management

– Biodiversity

– Strategic Environmental Assessment

– Environmental Awareness & Education

Climate Change

• Climate Change Action Plan and Carbon Management Plan

• Target CO2 emission target

– 10% by 2008

– 15% by 2010

• 2007 - 31 % reduction in CO2 emission

• Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group

• Renewables Connection

Sustainable Procurement

• Joint Sustainable Purchasing Policy– Timber– Copiers– Food– Fairtrade

• The Canny Buyer - www.cannybuyer.com

Waste Management

• Waste Strategy - Area Waste Plan

• Issues of landfill vs energy from waste

• Landfill fines from EU will begin - £150 tonne

• Target - 40% recycling by 2011

• Current recycling rate 20% - domestic

• Strategic Waste Fund (£25m - 20 yrs)

Biodiversity

• Legislation

– Nature Conservation Act 2004

– Access Legislation - Core Paths

– Local Biodiversity Action Plans

• Parks and Greenspaces management

– Aberdeen City Countryside Rangers

• Partnerships

– Volunteers and Aberdeen Countryside Project

– East Grampian Coastal Partnership

Awareness Raising

• Leaflets - climate change, health, trails, biodiversity, fairtrade, etc

• Environmental Forum

• EcoCity

– Highland Games

– Award Scheme

– Spring Clean Ups

• www.aberdeencity.gov.uk - Your City - Your Environment

Strategic Environment Assessment• Statutory Requirement for all new policies and

programmes in Scotland• Similar to Environment Impact Assessment• Assesses 8 Environment indicators

Air Biodiversity

Water Soil

Cultural heritage Material Assets Landscape & Cultural Heritage

• Process requires SNH, Historic Scotland SEPA consultation and approval

Ecological Footprint

• North East project was a three year pilot to develop global footprint as a tool for policy making

• Scotland Global Footprint Project• Objectives

• Measure the North East’s Footprint• Develop a footprint software tool• Develop strategies and projects to

reduce footprint

What is Ecological Footprint?

• Calculates the area of land and sea needed to:– Support how much resources we use.

– Absorb how much waste we produce.

• Measured in global hectares per person (gha/person).

Ecological Footprint vs Carbon Footprint• Carbon footprint measure direct carbon emissions

– CO2 tonnes/per person

North East Scotland’s Footprint

• Currently all Earth resources can provide 1.9 gha/person

• North East Scotland global footprint is:– Aberdeen City 5.80 gha/person– Findhorn, Moray 2.60

gha/person– Scotland 5.37

gha/person

What does this mean?

What contributes to our Footprint?• Energy Use (23%)

– Energy Use

– Gas, Oil, Electricity

• Transport (14 %)– Cost of Fuel

– Private Car Use

– Transport Services

• Food and Drink (20 %)– Consumption

– Food miles

How Aberdeen City will use Ecological Footprint

• Environmental Baseline • Measure of Sustainable Development

– Links with Best Value

• Policy decision tool– Increased knowledge and choices

• Environment awareness tool– Links individual consumer behaviour to the

environment

Useful References

• Carson, Rachel, Silent Spring, Penguin (1962)

• WCED, Our Common Future, Oxford, (1987)

• The Real World Coalition - From here to Sustainability, Earthscan (2001), www.earthscan.co.uk

• www.earthsummit2002.org

• www.defra.gov.uk/environment/sustainable

• www.aberdeencity.gov.uk

• www.sustainable-scotland.net

• www.cannybuyer.com

• www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment

• www.scotlandsfootprint.org

• www.nesbiodiversity.org.uk