Archive for the ‘Scotland’ Category

Energy minister welcomes £46bn investment plans as SSE signs agreement to build offshore wind hub in Dundee

Scotland has experienced its “best year yet” for green energy, according to new government figures confirming £750m worth of new projects were switched on in the past 12 months.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing hailed 2011 as an “exceptional year” for Scotland’s ambition to deliver 10 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, noting that there was currently £46bn of green energy investment in the pipeline. Read the rest of this entry »

The Scottish government has just launched its own consultation on proposed changes to the Renewables Obligation scheme, which would largely bring subsidies for projects north of the border into line with the level of support proposed yesterday for the rest of UK by Westminster.

Most notably, the Scottish government is proposing that the level of support for marine energy project mirrors the rest of the UK. Read the rest of this entry »

As doctors warn of rising climate impacts new research predicts sea levels will rise 75cm by 2100

More than 100 medical and military professionals, including Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of council at the British Medical Association and Lord Michael Jay, chairman of medical relief charity Merlin, yesterday backed a statement declaring climate change the greatest current threat to public health.

They urge policy makers to take concrete steps to tackle climate change, warning that failure to do so poses an immediate, grave and escalating threat to the health and security of billions of people around the globe. Read the rest of this entry »

Business group calls for global emissions-cutting deal and greater certainty around domestic regulations

Soon on the heel of Richard Branson’s call on governments to create green tax regimes to encourage renewables globally – here in the UK the CBI has warned about green policy uncertainty.British businesses are committed to tackling climate change, but their ambition is being thwarted by the failure of politicians at home and abroad to provide certainty for investors, according to the CBI’s Deputy Director-General Dr Neil Bentley.
Businesses want to lead the development of a low-carbon economy, but their “patience is wearing thin” with politicians’ inconsistent approach to climate change policy. Read the rest of this entry »

A group of taxonomists has made a 2011 top-10 list of new animal and plant species discovered last year

Taking a cue from Letterman, a committee of taxonomists has issued a 2011 top-10 list of coolest new species discovered last year. They include … a leech with huge teeth, an iron-oxide-eating bacterium on the wreck of RMS Titanic, a flat-as-a-pancake batfish, glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, a high-jumping cockroach, a six-and-a half foot long fruit-eating lizard, a cricket that only pollinates a rare orchid species, underwater mushrooms, a spider that builds enormous webs, and a new duiker (antelope-like animal) species first discovered at a bushmeat market in West Africa. Read the rest of this entry »

Company issues statement declaring it will sell 25 per cent stake in nuclear joint venture

A spokeswoman for the company could not reveal when the sale would be completed, or at what price.
In the statement, Alistair Phillips-Davies, generation and supply director of SSE, said the company had concluded it would focus its resources on business activities and technologies where it has the greatest knowledge and experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Chris Huhne unveils six designs under consideration by National Grid to carry electricity from a new generation of power stations

Six innovative pylon designs have been unveiled as potential replacements for the iconic steel lattice structures that have carried electricity across the country for the best part of a century

A competition to update Sir Reginald Blomfield’s classic 1927 design was launched in May and received almost 250 etrants. Read the rest of this entry »

Cod, haddock and other fish traditionally eaten in the UK are on the decline, but warm-water fish are thriving, study claims

According to the first “ big picture” study of rising sea temperatures – global warming is leading to profound population changes in most common fish species in waters off the UK.

Around three-quarters of the species affected have grown in numbers, the government-funded study claims.
While cold-water species such as cod and haddock fare badly, those that can do well in warmer conditions, including hake, dab and red mullet, are thriving. Read the rest of this entry »