A96 Action urged the Scottish Government to stop its roadbuilding program for A96

FOLLOWing the release of the 2019 UN Environment Program Emissions Gap Survey, A96 Action urged the Scottish Government to stop its roadbuilding program for A96.

Dr Astley Hastings, a sustainability scientist and member of the A96 Action Committee, said: “The report notes that the planet is not doing enough to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

“Emissions have increased and the report noted that even if all unconditional Nationally Determined Contributions are applied under the Paris Agreement, we are still on target for a 3.2 ° C temperature rise.”

In the introduction to the report, executive director Inger Andersen said: “This study informs us that temperatures from 2020 to 2030 will fall by 7.6% per year for the 1.5 ° C target and 2.7%t for the 2 ° C target, to be following the Paris Agreement.

“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has cautioned us that going above 1.5 ° C would increase the frequency and severity of climate change, such as the heatwaves and storms seen across the globe in recent years.

“We can’t afford to fail,” Ms Andersen concluded: “This report gives us a strong choice, sets in motion the radical transformations that we need now, or faces the consequences of a planet radically altered by climate change.” I hope that its findings will inspire governments to move forward with the increased climate ambition that the world so desperately needs. “Dr Hastings commented:” Sadly, Scotti’s findings will inspire governments to move forward with the increasing climate ambition that the world so desperately needs.

“The greenhouse gas cost of actually constructing the road is more than a 25 thousand tons of carbon dioxide just for the stretches from Huntly to Kintore, where more than 22 million tons of rock would have to be excavated, the equal of six Rubislaw Quarries.

“The soil and photosynthesis carbon loss over 30 years, particularly for the technical areas, are not included in these emissions.

“The total cost of greenhouse gas for the entire project is about 6 million tons of carbon dioxide.” In 2016, Scotland’s current total annual traffic emissions were 14 million tons to bring this into context.