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The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Scotland can lead the world with 'ecocide' bill currently in Holyrood
Good evening! This week's edition of the In Common newsletter comes from Michaela Girvan and Tara Pierce of the Ocean Rights Coalition. IMAGINE the scene: a CEO sits handcuffed, silent, in the dock of a Scottish courtroom. He is not there because of a shareholder scandal or financial fraud but because the company he leads has caused widespread, long-term destruction of the marine environment through illegal bottom trawling in Scottish waters. Expert witnesses describe the devastation. Once-thriving seabeds flattened. Biodiversity lost. Species pushed to collapse. Carbon stores released from the seafloor, worsening climate change, communities along the coast left with the wreckage and coastal artisan fishermen struggling. The courtroom listens, and the law now recognises this harm for what it truly is – not an unfortunate side effect of business but a crime against nature. That scene may feel like fiction. However, it is exactly the kind of accountability the Ecocide (Prevention) (Scotland) Bill currently progressing through the Scottish Parliament could make real. If passed, Scotland would become the first country in the world to criminalise ecocide in domestic law – a powerful and necessary step at a time of ecological crisis. The bill, brought forward by Scottish Labour MSP Monica Lennon (above), defines ecocide as the causing of severe environmental harm, whether intentional or through reckless disregard. The harm must be either widespread or long-term – measured not in headlines, but in habitats, ecosystems and years. If passed, the law would make individuals, companies and public bodies liable for the most serious kinds of environmental destruction. Punishments include up to 20 years in prison, fines and court-ordered restoration of the damaged ecosystems. Importantly, it introduces personal liability for directors and decision-makers. In a world where corporate impunity too often shields those at the top, this matters. What sets this legislation apart is not only its ambition but its timing. Just last week, world leaders gathered in Nice for the third United Nations Ocean Conference. Once again, they committed to reversing marine biodiversity loss and protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030. The pledges are noble. But if we are honest, global action has repeatedly failed to match the scale or speed of the crisis. Here in Scotland, we have a rare opportunity to do something the international system has so far failed to do: make marine destruction legally actionable as a criminal crime. From deep-sea mining and industrial overfishing to oil spills, chemical dumping and plastic pollution, Scotland's marine environment is facing an onslaught of threats. Some of these are caused by foreign actors; others are permitted under existing UK or devolved policy. Either way, the law has not kept up with science, morality or the pace of destruction. That is why this bill matters so deeply to those of us working in ocean protection. It acknowledges that the sea is not an industrial buffer zone or economic abstraction. It is a living system on which we all depend. Its kelp forests and corals store carbon. Its species form fragile food webs. Its health is climate health, biodiversity health and human health. The bill does not mention the ocean by name, but its scope is broad enough to include it and serious marine harm. In doing so, it brings new hope to those who have campaigned for decades for stronger protections for the sea. It gives voice to communities who have watched polluters act with impunity. It sets a legal precedent that others can follow. Scotland is no stranger to progressive leadership. From banning smoking in public spaces to providing free period products, it has shown the courage to legislate ahead of the curve. With this bill, it can again lead – not just the UK, but the world – on environmental justice. There will be attempts to dilute this legislation as it moves through Parliament. Some will argue the definitions are too broad. Others will raise fears about economic impact. The truth is this: the cost of doing nothing is far greater. The science is clear, the damage is real and the legal gap is glaring. We must not allow this bill to be watered down into symbolism. It must retain the strength to do what it promises: hold powerful actors to account for the destruction of the natural world. This is not about stifling enterprise. It is about drawing a line. About saying, as a country, that we will no longer tolerate the wilful wrecking of our wild ecosystems that sustain life. The Ocean Rights Coalition is calling on MSPs to support this bill with integrity and urgency. We are asking members of the public to do the same. If you care about the future of our seas – about their resilience, their beauty and their survival – now is the time to act. Email your MSP. Tell them you support the Ecocide (Prevention) (Scotland) Bill. Tell them not to weaken it and to keep the lion's teeth, and remind them that Scotland has a chance, right now, to lead the world and make history. To make sure the Scotland their grandchildren will inherent is protected. The ocean is rising. It's time Scots law rose with it.
The National
12-06-2025
- General
- The National
Almost half of Scottish homes suffer disrepair. We can change that
Good evening! This week's edition of the In Common newsletter comes from Dr Keith Baker, a research fellow at Glasgow Caledonian University, and Magdalena Blazusiak MCIAT, vice chair of the Scottish Ecological Design Association. To receive the newsletter direct to your inbox every week click here. IF you've ever had an Energy Performance Certificate assessment for your home, you'll probably be aware that the recommendations they make are often not ideal for your property, lifestyle, or budget. Common Weal has long argued that EPCs are in need of substantial reforms, and the Scottish Government has now recognised this problem and has been developing new legislation to amend EPCs and ensure properties are properly assessed before householders invest in upgrading them. The EPC reforms will be announced at the end of this summer and, crucially, will include rewording 'recommendations' to 'potential improvement measures'. We're contributing to this process as members of the short life working group established to oversee them. However, behind the scenes we've been working on a project intended to ensure that householders in Scotland get the best possible advice and support for retrofitting their homes. The result is the proposed Home Energy Efficiency Technical Suitability Assessment (HEETSA), which is now out for public consultation. HEETSA was one of those projects which substantially outgrew its original scope, thanks to an unexpectedly high level of input from our stakeholders. Using a survey and a series of workshops, we solicited evidence from well over one hundred organisations and companies, covering assessment methodologies, skills and qualifications, market readiness, and much more. We began with an aim of producing a 20-page summary report and ended up producing a policy report and a technical report, each running to over 50 pages, and subjected them to several rounds of scrutiny by our peer reviewers. It went well over time and over budget, but we believe what we've arrived at is authoritative and definitive. HEETSA is based on a number of fundamental principles. By adopting a 'maintenance-first' approach it will ensure we fix buildings first, recognising that as of 2023, a whopping 45% of Scottish properties were still suffering disrepair to one or more critical elements, such as roofs and external walls. And fixing properties first means that householders will be able to reap the full benefits of adding energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies. Maintenance has long been a blind spot in policy, and its lack of consideration under the Heat in Buildings Bill fundamentally undermined that legislation, so this is a long overdue reset. READ MORE: How did Scotland become more expensive than pricy Norway? Furthermore, the principle of 'no regrets' – ensuring that the measures householders are advised to install are appropriate for their properties and lifestyles, and that will not need to be removed or replaced as part of future upgrades – is something Common Weal has long argued for. For example, say your property has cavity walls. A basic EPC assessment will usually assume the presence and condition of cavity wall insulation based on the property's type and age, or rely on a quick visual check. But not all cavities should be filled, and basic assessments often miss cases where filler has settled or been damaged by moisture, meaning adding additional wall insulation can create new, costly, problems. HEETSA is intended to fix this sort of problem. HEETSA won't replace EPCs. You'll still need one as part of selling or renting out a property as energy efficiency ratings are required by law. However, you'll now be encouraged to take up a HEETSA assessment, which will include a more detailed assessment of your condition of a property by a suitably trained professional, and an interview to better understand their individual circumstances and needs. READ MORE: Planning system 'failing' to tackle Scotland's housing emergency To facilitate this, we have proposed that a HEESTA retrofit process requires a number of roles, including an assessor, an advocate, and a project manager. Although some householders will need more help than others, and some may be able to manage their own projects. At first, only the role of the assessor will be regulated but, ultimately, we will need to extend that regulation – particularly to energy efficiency advisors. We won't get there overnight. We're up against a skills gap and a lack of trust in experts and advice from years of schemes that have often, at best, failed to deliver, and scandals over things such as spray foam and cladding. But HEESTA has been designed to address the problems of the past, and to help make careers in retrofit attractive both to young people and adults. Our proposals put skills and rebuilding trust at the heart of HEETSA, and set out how community groups and local installers can be part of and benefit from the process without overburdening them. There's still some fine-tuning left to be done, and we still have to get the legislation passed at Holyrood, and we need help with this. So please consider responding to the consultation, and please ask your MSPs to support the legislation. Dr Keith Baker FRSA is a research fellow at Glasgow Caledonian University and a director and convenor of the Energy Working Group at Common Weal. Magdalena Blazusiak MCIAT is a Chartered Architectural Technologist, vice chair of the Scottish Ecological Design Association, and a lecturer and PhD candidate at Robert Gordon University.
The National
01-05-2025
- The National
Scottish prison deaths are far too high
Good evening! This week's edition of the In Common newsletter comes from Kaitlin Dryburgh, policy and communication director at Common Weal. To receive the newsletter direct to your inbox every week click here. THE Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) has found that deaths in Scottish prisons have risen to among the highest in Europe. From 40 in 2023 to 64 in 2024, with some of the most common reasons stated as health conditions, suicide and drug-related causes. Furthermore, the SCCJR found that the overall number of people who died while in custody or in the care of the state in 2024 was a staggering 244 people. While a Fatal Accident Inquiry is automatically provided for those who died while in prison or police custody, those who died under different custody circumstances or care of the state are not provided the same right. Which unfortunately means that we won't know how the majority of those passed away or if the state was to some extent responsible. This embarrassing finding is another example of how Scotland's prison estate is one of the worst in Europe, in so many different ways. Although we are set to build and replace the current Barlinnie prison in Glasgow, this just goes to show our under-funded prison estate is not capable of either rehabilitation or offering a safe place. The structures already in place are not working, and what that means is more people will die. The centre also found that sadly 16 children and young persons died while in the care of the state, including a person with disabilities residing in a hospital. Scotland has previously been scrutinised for its high number of young people dying while in the youth estate and a few high-profile cases in the media have highlighted the need for change. READ MORE: Aberdeen locals react to Michael Gove choosing 'Lord of Torry' title A report published at the start of the year found that the suicides of two youths at Polmont Young Offenders Institution (below) could have been avoided. Due to the nature of Fatal Accident Inquiries, no-one at a prison can be found criminally responsible for death of a person in their custody. So it is no surprise that recommendations made to the Scottish Government are slow to be implemented when there is little pressure from anywhere to see it through. Radical reform is needed in the prison estate if we are to improve and increase rehabilitation, provide people with a better standard of living on the outside, deliver true justice and actually help people. However, at the very least we should be keeping people alive. Prison should not be a death sentence. The data shows that those with mental health issues are more likely to die in custody. The suicide rate for those on remand in prison is untenably high, and yet our remand population is one of the highest in Europe, once again. There are two options that the Scottish Government can start putting in motion right now. No need to wait on another consultation or research, there is enough evidence out there to show the current model is a waste of time and ineffective. Either they enact a prison model that bears more resemblance to Norway, which emphasises rehabilitation and alternatives to the usual prison establishments. Looking at placements that remove troubled people from their usual tumultuous environments and give them stability, teaching them life skills that they've not had access to. With accountability and responsibility at the core of these environments, while treating crime as a public health issue. Something that isn't present currently. Or, they build bigger and better prisons that allow prison officers to offer better care so that we don't have another large increase of people dying while in the care of the state, and have a more streamlined healthcare and mental health service available in prisons. However, considering the high rate at which we throw people in prison, building bigger prisons should not be seen as an incentive to fill them, and more out-of-prison alternatives must be invested in. Either way, this is not the option that will enact the most positive change, but if that's what's needed to keep more people alive, so be it. READ MORE: St Andrews rector wins appeal after dismissal over Gaza comments Lastly, the prison officers and personnel that keep these prisons ticking over should stop being overlooked. Not unlike other public services, the bureaucracy and top-heavy management structure is producing an at-times demotivated workforce that should be more valued, listened to and trusted to make decisions concerning the people they interact with. What the findings from the SCCJR prove is once again we have one of the worst prison estates in Europe, one that is in desperate need of reform. We do not have the death penalty in this country for a reason; going to prison should not increase the likelihood of dying. Furthermore, if we want to explore a different way and do better, we must know how people are dying. Therefore, a Fatal Accident Inquiry is essential when anyone in custody or in the care of state passes away, no exceptions.
The National
24-04-2025
- Business
- The National
This is the model Scotland must adopt to improve all our lives
Good evening! This week's edition of the In Common newsletter comes from Professor Iain Black, Strathclyde Business School and Common Weal board member. To receive the newsletter direct to your inbox every week click here. AS I write this, the Scottish Government has announced it is pulling back on another action aimed at reaching climate targets – its target to reduce road traffic by 20% by 2030. Eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate crisis, improving public services – all have been promised, none have been planned for. The Scottish Government's action means many will remain tied to increasingly expensive and polluting cars which damage health and extract wealth and hand it to global corporations. Our SMEs and remaining large companies are struggling under Trump tariffs and households are about to get a higher energy bill because the price of electricity remains tied to the price of gas. What plans or priorities, politicians or parties are giving you hope? (Image: Andrew Milligan) To create hope, your plan or alternative must achieve three things: it must feel important, be 'goal-congruent' (it must do what you say it does) and it must feel possible. Do John Swinney's plans to grow the economy and produce tax revenue feel important or match your priorities when you are hungry and cold? Does it seem possible to reduce the number of children living in poverty when, after 20 years in which our GDP has doubled and tax revenue has increased, child poverty rates have remained broadly unchanged? So what might give us hope? Something based on rigorous research and observation over decades? Something tried, tested and successful in a previous time of great crises? An approach to government called 'National Mission Oriented Market Making' may be a mouthful but it fits that bill. (Image: Karol Serewis/Gallo) National mission-oriented market making is a strategic and interventionist approach to market creation and maintenance based on the work of Professor Mariana Mazzucato (above). Here, governments recognise their capacity to structure economic activity to address persistent, intensifying and multiplying environmental and social crises – and they do something about it. They adopt a crisis orientation and direct national assets from private, public and third sectors to develop markets and structures required to address agreed national missions. This involves managing collaborations for the design, supply, manufacturing, construction, maintenance, remanufacturing and recycling of products needed to address persistent crises. In Scotland, these missions could be based on their capacity to address three interlinked crises: the climate emergency, the fossil fuel cost of living crisis and the Scottish Government's relationship with business. They would link to needs we all share: warmth, safety, shelter, sustenance, mobility, meaningful work, sense of purpose, community and socialising. This could translate into three big missions. First, everyone must benefit from Scotland's energy. We would focus on becoming a nation of 'prosumers' where our buildings, based on a fabric-first approach, are warm and have low running costs. Excess energy is stored and used when needed. We would need a national insulation and retrofit company and national public energy agency to co-ordinate and deliver at scale. Second, there must be enough good food for everyone. The mission would be to provide nutritious, tasty, healthy and affordable food. Professor Tim Jackson in his recent book estimates that it would cost the UK less to make such food available for free than it costs the NHS to treat the outcomes of our ultra-high-processed diets. Third, access for all to active and low carbon travel. We would just need to go to cities like Lund in Sweden to see what this looks and feels like. Achieving this through safe, clean, reliable and cheap public transport and the ability to walk or wheel to our work and places of play could free us from the monthly cost of a car. We'd need a national transport agency controlling construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure. Delivery of the missions is by SMEs and investment is de-risked by guaranteeing long-term support for strategically important markets. National bodies, overseen by citizen assemblies, invest in and own infrastructure and ruthlessly focus on providing a supportive, consistent regulatory environment. This approach rejects the approach of the past 40 years where governments avoid intervening in markets where possible. Instead, the model followed is war-time prioritisation and mobilisation. It is the approach behind how the US was reorganised after Pearl Harbour so it was able to launch 2710 Liberty cargo ships in less than four years, from 18 yards at a top rate of two every three days. All achieved while bringing women into the workforce and improving industrial democracy. (Image: Newsquest) Professor Ailsa Henderson (above) reports this week that the majority of voters in England describe themselves as 'angry' or 'fearful' of politics. While not conducted in Scotland, I suspect the results are generalisable. She went on to say: 'English politics is marked by continued grievance, frustration and anger rather than hope.' Can we honestly say that more focus on growth and more dialling back on climate actions gives us hope? Can we expect more extractive growth funded by the Scottish National Investment Bank to give us hope? Or can we look to what has worked in the past and set ourselves national missions where everyone benefits from a decent warm home, good food and low-cost stress-free mobility? Important, goal congruent and possible.
