Environment: Subject Profile

Author: Alexa Morrison, Damon Davies, Roxana Shafiee, Ellie Wood

PDF Published: Thursday 19 Aug 2021 (SB 21-54)

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Overview
Report

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Overview
Report
- Introduction
- Key strategic policies and goals
  - Scotland’s Environment Strategy
  - The UN SDGs and Scotland's National Performance Framework
  - Scotland's Environmental Principles
- Key bodies and regulators, and duties of public bodies
- Environmental standards and governance (following EU exit)
  - Maintaining or keeping pace with EU environmental standards post EU exit
  - Environmental Standards Scotland
  - Post EU-exit environmental funding including rural support
  - Proposals for a human right to a healthy environment
- Waste and the Circular Economy
  - Waste regulation, roles and key legislation
  - Waste and recycling targets and progress to date
  - Greenhouse Gas emissions associated with consumption and waste
  - Key areas of development in waste and circular economy policy
  - Deposit Return Scheme
- Biodiversity and wildlife management
  - The ecological emergency - a nature crisis
  - Biodiversity strategies and key legislation
  - Protected areas, protected species and nature networks
  - Marine protected areas and other approaches
  - Nature-based solutions within a green recovery
    
    Peatlands
    
    Forestry
    
    Blue carbon
  - Invasive species
  - Wildlife crime
  - Wildlife management - including deer, grouse moors and beavers
- Air Quality
- Flooding
- The freshwater environment
  - Scottish Water and the water industry
- Chemicals and pesticides regulation
Sources

Image: Figure 1 - The 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals

Image: Figure 2 - Factors influencing Scottish environmental standards post EU-exit

Image: Figure 3 - The waste hierarchy

Image: Figure 4 - Recycling Rates in Scotland

Image: Figure 5 - Waste Landfilled in Scotland

Image: Figure 6 - Emissions from Waste in Scotland 1990 - 2019

Image: Figure 7 - A nature crisis in Scotland and globally

Image: Figure 8- Drivers of biodiversity loss in Scotland

Map showing the Scottish Marine Protected Area network

Image: Figure 9 - Scottish Marine Protected Area Network

Image: Figure 10 - Habitats and settings that can provide NbS

Image: Figure 11 - Comparison of blue carbon storage and sequestration with terrestrial carbon, and Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions

Plans and Programmes required by the Climate Change Acts, showing that the CCP must set out policies and proposals to consider carbon storage when designating MPAs under the Marine Scotland Act (shown on the left). Grey boxes indicate the requirements set out in the Acts. Dashed line and blue text indicates the consideration of blue carbon in the CCP and the CCPu.

Image: Figure 12 - Plans and Programmes required by the Climate Change Acts.

Image: Figure 13 - Status of surface waters in Scotland (2018)

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Last Updated: 8/4 3:05pm

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