Orkney and Shetland Labour
4 December 2019
Questions specific to Orkney:
How should Orkney address the climate emergency?
Coilla :
There are several areas where Orkney can reduce its carbon footprint dramatically.
*Continuing to increase production of onshore, offshore and marine renewable energy, for this we need an interconnector to feed our excess energy into the grid on the Scottish mainland.
Labour is committed to bringing the grid into public ownership, followed by providing interconnectors to remote areas with high renewable potential.
*Transitioning away from the oil production and towards decommissioning of oil platforms and possible repurposing of land based oil industrial areas into renewables.
*Decarbonising heating and improved energy efficiency of homes and buildings.
*Transitioning transport to sustainable energy sources.
*Ferries, islanders planes and buses.
*Encouraging use of electric and other sustainably fuelled cars, vans and lorries, and provision of a charging network.
This will be helped by Labour's policies of providing loans for electric vehicles.
*Looking at visiting liners and improving their carbon footprint for example by using shore based renewable energy.
*Working with farmers to move towards sustainable agriculture methods.
Do you know what Orkney's carbon budget is, and will you be using those figures as an indicator of whether or not we can really afford something?
Coilla :
Of course knowledge of what our greenhouse gas emissions are and the consequences of any proposed project on them is vital for reducing emissions to any target.
The Orkney Energy Audit 2004 gave our Carbon emissions as 154,884 tonnes CO2 in 1990 167,906 tonnes CO2 in 2003.
1990 is the commonly used baseline for measurement of progress towards targets.
Orkney Islands Council has a Carbon Management Programme
This was agreed by the Council in 2016.
Download >>>
The Programme states that:
"By implementing the projects included in this programme, we must achieve a 40% reduction in Carbon emissions over the ten year life of this programme from a 2004-2005 baseline."[I.E. by 2026]
This was an ambitious and useful aim at the time, but in the last two years, we have become more aware of the extent of the crisis.
Largely in response to the IPCC Report, XR Orkney protest and others across Scotland, the UK and the World, the Council declared a Climate Emergency.
We now need more ambitious plans which focus on how we can reduce carbon emissions across Orkney, not just from Council activities.
We should also look at our personal carbon footprint: if we buy products from elsewhere, their production creates carbon emissions so we need to look at these as well.
We need to bring all parts of society together to develop a plan to move to zero emissions and a zero carbon footprint in Orkney as soon as possible.
The conference in March is a great opportunity and the concept of a Citizens Assembly should be seriously considered.
Can you see an opportunity to address fuel poverty in the continued development of sustainable energies?
Coilla :
Definitely, Labour policies include public ownership of the grid, community energy projects and energy companies, potentially providing affordable energy and community benefit.
Also included are upgrading the energy efficiency of existing homes, and increasing the efficiency standards of new homes.
Decarbonising heating, using air source heat pumps and renewable electricity.
All of these measures act to reduce energy costs and so also fuel poverty.
Will you be supporting Orkney’s farmers by fighting for subsidies to enable more sustainable and efficient land management?
Coilla :
Yes, Labour's policies include repurposing farm subsidies to support sustainable methods of food production and environmental land management.
Local small scale renewable energy generation will again be encouraged, so farmers will be able to diversify into energy production, supplying their own energy needs and selling excess into the grid.
Questions general to the UK
Where does the climate emergency figure in your priorities?
Coilla :
Very highly, at the top along with sorting out our NHS and public services.
The Labour Party is prioritising the climate emergency and dealing with it effectively and urgently runs through many of our policies.
Will you and your party start to tell the British public the truth about the climate emergency and the need to make changes immediately?
Coilla :
*We already are doing this, it is the major issue of our time.
To keep global warming to a liveable level action must be taken immediately.
Labour has a whole range of policies in the Green New Deal to start addressing the issue as soon as we get into Government.
How will you and your party support a National Citizens' Assembly?
Coilla :
Labour is already committed to forming a National Citizens Assembly to renew our democracy.
This assembly to form part of a Constitutional Convention to decide how Nations and Regions can best relate to each other and how a Labour Government can best put power in the hands of the people.
This is an obvious route to make Citizen's Assemblies a part of how we make decisions on the future of our country and our local area.
Will you commit to letting it direct your policies?
Coilla :
Since Jeremy Corbyn became leader of the Labour Party a series of Citizen's Assemblies have been held across the UK to inform our policy making.
They have fed into the process with information on what the issues are in their area and also with ideas for ways to address those issues.
This forms an important part of our policy process but is not it's entirety, there are several other inputs via democratic national and UK policy forums, and via democracy at National and UK Conferences.
This allows a really wide range of life experience and knowledge to form our policy.
There is certainly room for an increase in the input for Citizen's Assemblies to this process, and for making them a more permanent feature in our democracy.
We need a carbon net zero future by 2025 (only 5 years!), how will you work and your party work with all stake-holders to achieve this?
Labour has already been consulting with stakeholders to formulate its Green New Deal Policies which cover a spectrum of policy areas.
So with Unions, about just transition away from fossil fuels and creating jobs in new industry areas.
With teachers, lecturers and education Unions, about training and retraining to provide the skills for the new jobs that will be created.
With the renewables sector and energy sector, about energy production.
With business, construction and housing sectors, about upgrading the housing stock and raising efficiency standards of new housing.
With the public about issues in their areas, fuel poverty, poor housing, lack of interconnectors, environmentally damaging projects etc.
We will continue to do this as policies are implemented to assess progress and impact.
Are you and your party prepared to work globally, and in solidarity with all peoples and nations, to achieve all this?
Coilla:
Absolutely, climate change is a global issue and tackling it requires global action.
Some nations and peoples are going to need help from the wealthier countries who have contributed the most to our current situation.
Questions specific to Orkney:
How should Orkney address the climate emergency?
Coilla :
There are several areas where Orkney can reduce its carbon footprint dramatically.
*Continuing to increase production of onshore, offshore and marine renewable energy, for this we need an interconnector to feed our excess energy into the grid on the Scottish mainland.
Labour is committed to bringing the grid into public ownership, followed by providing interconnectors to remote areas with high renewable potential.
*Transitioning away from the oil production and towards decommissioning of oil platforms and possible repurposing of land based oil industrial areas into renewables.
*Decarbonising heating and improved energy efficiency of homes and buildings.
*Transitioning transport to sustainable energy sources.
*Ferries, islanders planes and buses.
*Encouraging use of electric and other sustainably fuelled cars, vans and lorries, and provision of a charging network.
This will be helped by Labour's policies of providing loans for electric vehicles.
*Looking at visiting liners and improving their carbon footprint for example by using shore based renewable energy.
*Working with farmers to move towards sustainable agriculture methods.
Do you know what Orkney's carbon budget is, and will you be using those figures as an indicator of whether or not we can really afford something?
Coilla :
Of course knowledge of what our greenhouse gas emissions are and the consequences of any proposed project on them is vital for reducing emissions to any target.
The Orkney Energy Audit 2004 gave our Carbon emissions as 154,884 tonnes CO2 in 1990 167,906 tonnes CO2 in 2003.
1990 is the commonly used baseline for measurement of progress towards targets.
Orkney Islands Council has a Carbon Management Programme
This was agreed by the Council in 2016.
Download >>>
The Programme states that:
"By implementing the projects included in this programme, we must achieve a 40% reduction in Carbon emissions over the ten year life of this programme from a 2004-2005 baseline."[I.E. by 2026]
This was an ambitious and useful aim at the time, but in the last two years, we have become more aware of the extent of the crisis.
Largely in response to the IPCC Report, XR Orkney protest and others across Scotland, the UK and the World, the Council declared a Climate Emergency.
We now need more ambitious plans which focus on how we can reduce carbon emissions across Orkney, not just from Council activities.
We should also look at our personal carbon footprint: if we buy products from elsewhere, their production creates carbon emissions so we need to look at these as well.
We need to bring all parts of society together to develop a plan to move to zero emissions and a zero carbon footprint in Orkney as soon as possible.
The conference in March is a great opportunity and the concept of a Citizens Assembly should be seriously considered.
Can you see an opportunity to address fuel poverty in the continued development of sustainable energies?
Coilla :
Definitely, Labour policies include public ownership of the grid, community energy projects and energy companies, potentially providing affordable energy and community benefit.
Also included are upgrading the energy efficiency of existing homes, and increasing the efficiency standards of new homes.
Decarbonising heating, using air source heat pumps and renewable electricity.
All of these measures act to reduce energy costs and so also fuel poverty.
Will you be supporting Orkney’s farmers by fighting for subsidies to enable more sustainable and efficient land management?
Coilla :
Yes, Labour's policies include repurposing farm subsidies to support sustainable methods of food production and environmental land management.
Local small scale renewable energy generation will again be encouraged, so farmers will be able to diversify into energy production, supplying their own energy needs and selling excess into the grid.
Questions general to the UK
Where does the climate emergency figure in your priorities?
Coilla :
Very highly, at the top along with sorting out our NHS and public services.
The Labour Party is prioritising the climate emergency and dealing with it effectively and urgently runs through many of our policies.
Will you and your party start to tell the British public the truth about the climate emergency and the need to make changes immediately?
Coilla :
*We already are doing this, it is the major issue of our time.
To keep global warming to a liveable level action must be taken immediately.
Labour has a whole range of policies in the Green New Deal to start addressing the issue as soon as we get into Government.
How will you and your party support a National Citizens' Assembly?
Coilla :
Labour is already committed to forming a National Citizens Assembly to renew our democracy.
This assembly to form part of a Constitutional Convention to decide how Nations and Regions can best relate to each other and how a Labour Government can best put power in the hands of the people.
This is an obvious route to make Citizen's Assemblies a part of how we make decisions on the future of our country and our local area.
Will you commit to letting it direct your policies?
Coilla :
Since Jeremy Corbyn became leader of the Labour Party a series of Citizen's Assemblies have been held across the UK to inform our policy making.
They have fed into the process with information on what the issues are in their area and also with ideas for ways to address those issues.
This forms an important part of our policy process but is not it's entirety, there are several other inputs via democratic national and UK policy forums, and via democracy at National and UK Conferences.
This allows a really wide range of life experience and knowledge to form our policy.
There is certainly room for an increase in the input for Citizen's Assemblies to this process, and for making them a more permanent feature in our democracy.
We need a carbon net zero future by 2025 (only 5 years!), how will you work and your party work with all stake-holders to achieve this?
Labour has already been consulting with stakeholders to formulate its Green New Deal Policies which cover a spectrum of policy areas.
So with Unions, about just transition away from fossil fuels and creating jobs in new industry areas.
With teachers, lecturers and education Unions, about training and retraining to provide the skills for the new jobs that will be created.
With the renewables sector and energy sector, about energy production.
With business, construction and housing sectors, about upgrading the housing stock and raising efficiency standards of new housing.
With the public about issues in their areas, fuel poverty, poor housing, lack of interconnectors, environmentally damaging projects etc.
We will continue to do this as policies are implemented to assess progress and impact.
Are you and your party prepared to work globally, and in solidarity with all peoples and nations, to achieve all this?
Coilla:
Absolutely, climate change is a global issue and tackling it requires global action.
Some nations and peoples are going to need help from the wealthier countries who have contributed the most to our current situation.