NATURE THREAT: RUSKELL SAYS EMISSIONS ARE KEY ISSUE TO TACKLE
Mark Ruskell, Rural Affairs and Environment spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, says the Responses for Nature report highlighting threats to the environment and wildlife underlines the need for Scottish ministers to tackle climate change emissions.
The report, compiled by 23 organisations including RSPB and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, calls for a range of measures to conserve nature and recover threatened species, which they say will improve the wellbeing of people in Scotland.
Councillor Mark Ruskell, Scottish Green MSP candidate for Mid-Scotland and Fife, said:
"The warnings about species loss from a wide range of organisations are clearer than ever. We must do more to protect our environment and our wildlife as these are vital to our wellbeing.
"Putting pressure on Scottish ministers to deliver on legal protections is very welcome and it underlines the fact that climate change is the biggest threat to Scotland's nature. For four years in a row Scotland has failed its greenhouse gas emissions targets and next year we're expected to meet an even tougher target.
"Scottish ministers' belief that maximum extraction of fossil fuels is compatible with our climate change responsibilities must be challenged. If we want our children and grandchildren to inherit a healthy environment, rich in wildlife, we must go further and faster on investment in low-carbon housing, transport and land use so we have a truly sustainable future."