Sign up to E-NewsHelp ensure that Scotland does the right thing on climate change
Background
In December this year, leaders from around the world will meet to negotiate a global deal to reduce climate change emissions. A strong agreement, with commitments to ambitious reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from industrialised countries, is absolutely vital if we are to stand a chance of slowing the effects of climate change now and avoiding irreversible climate change in the future.
The Scottish climate bill, which by that time will be law, will be one of the few of its kind in the world. It will have an impact, one way or another, on the negotiations. If it is a strong law, it could set the standard for action by industrialised countries and build trust with developing countries that we are serious about climate justice.
Help us secure a strong Scottish climate change law.
Please take a moment to send the letter below to your MSPs.
You have one constituency MSP and seven list MSPs. You can find their details by clicking here. If you only have time for one email, then please send it to your constituency MSP.
You can cut and paste the text below into each email
Dear
I am heartened that Scotland will soon be one of the first countries in the world to have passed legislation to reduce climate change emissions and I am aware that this could have an important effect on the climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December. I am writing to you now to ask you to use your voting power on June 24th to make the Scottish climate change bill as strong as possible, and I would like to urge you to vote for and against specific amendments to ensure that that happens.
The latest estimates show that climate change is already leaving over 300,000 people dead and 325 million people seriously affected every year. Developing countries bear over nine-tenths of the climate change burden: 98 percent of the seriously affected and 99 percent of all deaths from weather-related disasters, along with over 90 percent of the total economic losses. And yet the 50 Least Developed Countries contribute less than 1 percent of global carbon emissions.
It is vital that Scotland passes a law that will ensure that we take our fair share of the responsibility for the our emissions. This is vital if trust is to be built between developed and developing countries at the talks in Copenhagen.
To make this happen, the bill must include a requirement that the vast majority of emission cuts be made here in Scotland and not achieved through carbon trading or offsetting in other countries. Currently the bill contains a domestic effort target of 80% which would ensure that this happens. However, an amendment has been tabled for stage 3 which would undermine this. Please vote against amendment number 23 in Stewart Stevenson's name that would exempt EU ETS from Scotland's trading cap.
Taking early action to reduce emissions in the years between now and 2020 is also vital if the chances of dangerous and irreversible climate change are to be reduced. Please vote for all amendments that require an interim target of at least 40% emissions reductions to be set by 2020.
Scotland should be congratulated for including its share of international aviation emissions in its overall emission reduction targets. To make this even more effective, the additional impact of aviation emissions at altitude should be taken account of. Please vote for amendment number 109 in the name of Patrick Harvie that would require an aviation multiplier.
I hope that when you vote on the bill on 24th June you will remember Scotland's responsibility to the poorest people in the world who are already feeling some of the severest impacts of climate change.
I would be grateful if you would reply and let me know how you will be voting. I will watch the results of the votes with interest.
Yours sincerely
YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS
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