Tag: environment

3 Comments

Aberdeen By-election Special – Where tory Promises Go To Die

johnrobertson834

By Jim Mennie The Tories like to present themselves as champions of North East Scotland. Yet issues like oil and gas show they definitively are not. But it’s not just oil and gas that exposes how they treat the voters of the North East as mugs. In 2014, the then Westminster Tory-LibDem coalition government promised to make North East Scotland a world leader in carbon capture technology. The then UK Energy Secretary, and now LibDem leader, Ed Davey confirmed Peterhead as the location for the world’s first gas-fired carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility – backed up by a £100 … Continue reading Aberdeen By-election Special – Where tory Promises Go To Die

2 Comments

Reform UK cannot speak for workers in the North Sea

johnrobertson834

By Jim Mennie Reform UK has positioned itself as a vocal advocate for the North Sea oil and gas industry, particularly in North East Scotland. The party presents its policies as a defence of high-skilled jobs, energy security and domestic energy production against what it describes as overly rapid net-zero targets and green levies. While the messaging resonates in oil-dependent communities, serious questions remain about the party’s experience, track record and ability to deliver on its promises. What Reform UK Proposes The party’s platform includes several core commitments: Fast-tracking new North Sea exploration licences as a priority. Maximising extraction of … Continue reading Reform UK cannot speak for workers in the North Sea

1 Comment

Building standards and regulations in Scotland are generally more strict and demanding than those in England in several key areas

johnrobertson834

In the Guardian on 11 February 2026: Even multimillionaires can’t escape Britain’s cowboy builders, it seems. Last week, residents of One Hyde Park, the UK’s most expensive flats, won a £35m court case against the contractor that built their homes. The high court ordered the construction company Laing O’Rourke to fix defective pipework that was discovered to be causing problems in 2014, only three years after the luxury development was completed. At the other end of the economy, tens of thousands of families are facing damp and mould issues also caused by botched building works. A National Audit Office investigation revealed in October … Continue reading Building standards and regulations in Scotland are generally more strict and demanding than those in England in several key areas

1 Comment

Highest level of common mussel production ever recorded in Scotland after years of Scottish Government support

johnrobertson834

From Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2025 published today: The Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2025 was published today. This Official Statistics publication details statistics on the employment, production and value of shellfish from Scottish Shellfish Farms. It is structured to follow trends within the common mussel, Pacific oyster, native oyster and king scallop species sectors. Some statistics are given for the 10-year period 2016-2025.  Some key figures from this publication are: Source: https://www.gov.scot/news/scottish-shellfish-farm-production-survey-2025/ This achievement was mainly driven by Scotland’s shellfish farming industry, but the Scottish Government has played a major supporting roles because aquaculture and fisheries management are … Continue reading Highest level of common mussel production ever recorded in Scotland after years of Scottish Government support

Leave a comment

Producing more than half of the UK electricity from wind but Scots will just have to go ‘tribal’ to pay their bills

johnrobertson834

with their bills is on the rise in Scotland according to Consumer Scotland. BBC Reporting Scotland in their regular wee BBC Breakfast inserts go on to suggest, via two brothers, a ‘tribal’ strategy, as they put it themselves, where they, their families and others live in the one house to keep energy bills down. So, it’s just up to us to cope with high energy bills is it? Are you sure we couldn’t do something else like political independence and the powers to tax the energy companies? Does Scotland produce enough energy to meaningfully generate enough tax revenue to then … Continue reading Producing more than half of the UK electricity from wind but Scots will just have to go ‘tribal’ to pay their bills

3 Comments

Scotland rising above sea levels after only two years of SNP Government

johnrobertson834

The Guardian today, has: There is no great master plan’: anxiety as UK homes, roads and railways sink into the sea – Increasing coastal erosion has hit communities’ livelihoods and put lifestyles under threat There is no mention of any Scottish location. Here’s why: In October 2009, The Telegraph reported, the above and: England is sinking while Scotland rises above sea levels, according to new study England is sinking into the sea while Scotland is rising at such a rate it may counteract the effects of sea level rise due to climate change, according to a new geological map. The University … Continue reading Scotland rising above sea levels after only two years of SNP Government

6 Comments

The blind spot in researchers’ apocalyptic water shortages predictions – the 90% of the UK supply in Scotland

johnrobertson834

In the Guardian today, the above and: Rainwater harvesting, the use of grey water in homes and an urgent campaign to reduce water usage across society are vital to prevent water shortages of 5bn litres a day by 2055, the government has been told. Without intervention, England will face severe water shortages in the coming decades, as climate change-induced weather patterns, population growth and the expansion of industries such as water-intensive datacentres put excessive demand on supplies and endanger life, according to a House of Lords report published on Thursday. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/21/england-harvest-rainfall-water-usage-shortages-house-of-lords-report There’s no mention of Scotland in the report and media operating … Continue reading The blind spot in researchers’ apocalyptic water shortages predictions – the 90% of the UK supply in Scotland

Leave a comment

New houses built in flood risk areas – 1 in 9 in England but only 1 in 200 in Scotland

johnrobertson834

In the Guardian today, the above at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/video/2026/may/14/why-do-we-keep-building-on-land-at-risk-of-flooding The ‘one in nine’ reference reminded me: News houses built in flood risk areas – 1 in 9 in England but only 1 in 200 in Scotland In February 2026, the Guardian had already covered this: One in nine new homes in England built between 2022 and 2024 were constructed in areas that could now be at risk of flooding, according to new data. The figures show the number of homes being built in risky areas is on the rise – a previous analysis showed that between 2013 and 2022, one in 13 new … Continue reading New houses built in flood risk areas – 1 in 9 in England but only 1 in 200 in Scotland

Leave a comment

East Tennessee cancer victims living ‘in the shadow’ of nuclear sites to be compensated despite having far lower rates and deaths than Scots living ‘in the shadow’ of Sellafield only 43 miles away, upwind and upstream, across the border with England

johnrobertson834

From 6 News in Tennessee, USA, yesterday: For decades, communities in Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties have lived in the shadow of nuclear sites, now, help is finally here for those impacted. A federal program has come to East Tennessee, offering compensation to people diagnosed with cancer linked to radiation exposure. Watch the video in full at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euLZm6uyPsQ Why this area? From the Tennessee Environmental Council: Most Tennesseans think of Oak Ridge when radioactive issues are mentioned, but Tennessee is actually a major player when it comes to disposing of radioactive waste, with processors across the state: Up to 75% … Continue reading East Tennessee cancer victims living ‘in the shadow’ of nuclear sites to be compensated despite having far lower rates and deaths than Scots living ‘in the shadow’ of Sellafield only 43 miles away, upwind and upstream, across the border with England

Leave a comment

Water company customers in England to pay another £40m on top of already the highest prices and the worst quality in the UK but in Scotland…..?

johnrobertson834

Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this: From the Financial Times today: Five of Britain’s water companies spent £32.4mn on an appeal to the competition regulator that resulted in the utilities being able to raise customer bills even higher. Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, South East Water, Southern Water and Wessex Water argued that regulator Ofwat’s decision to allow them to increase consumer bills by an average of 24 per cent before inflation by 2030 was insufficient to cover their costs and attract investors to the industry. The appeal to the Competition and Markets Authority cost Anglian Water £9mn; South East Water £9mn; … Continue reading Water company customers in England to pay another £40m on top of already the highest prices and the worst quality in the UK but in Scotland…..?