Greens warn SNP against diluting or dropping crucial Heat in Buildings Bill
Any moves by the Scottish Government to further dilute, delay or drop the upcoming Heat in Buildings Bill would be an act of climate vandalism and a blow for household budgets, green jobs, and our environment, say the Scottish Greens.
The comments from the party’s Co-Leader, Patrick Harvie, come ahead of a Ministerial statement today that is widely expected to see plans weakened and pushed back further.
The Bill, which was under development by Mr Harvie in his time as a Minister, and was on track for introduction in November last year, was intended to focus on improving the energy efficiency of our homes and changing to clean heating systems.
Mr Harvie said:
“It is crucial that we move away from fossil fuels and invest in clean, green energy so that we can have warmer homes and start to cut the bills that are plunging even more families into poverty.
“Keeping people stuck on gas is not only bad for our planet, it is also punishing people all across our country and forcing them to fork out, while the fossil fuel companies post record profits. We are already way behind where we need to be in terms of tackling fuel poverty and our transition away from fossil fuels.
“Scotland is also losing out on good quality green jobs. Heat pump manufacturing is seeing global growth, but Scotland has seen investment go elsewhere.
“The measures in this Bill could play a crucial role in supporting households to make the shift, and giving the industry the clarity it needs to invest. I am very concerned by the increasing speculation that it will be diluted, delayed or dropped. To do so would be an act of environmental vandalism and a blow for household budgets, our economy and our environment.
“The failure to hit previous climate targets should have been a wake-up call, but the Scottish Government is not showing anywhere near the political will that is required.
“Cutting home energy bills, boosting high quality green jobs, and cutting our emissions are all possible, but they can only happen if the Government is prepared to take the action and make the investment that it needs to.”