ARIANE BURGESS: Building in resilience as climate change starts to bite
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Holyrood Notebook by Ariane Burgess
At this time of year, it is customary to do a round-up of things that have happened over the previous 12 months, but we are living in challenging times that have been unfolding for a while, and I want to pause to acknowledge that.
2022 has been a year that continues to test our personal and community resilience, with the cost-of-living crisis knocking at pretty much everyone’s door.
Now, as anticipated, we’re facing a bitterly harsh winter. You only have to look north to Shetland to see the added impacts on communities brought on by storm freeze damage to power lines.
With climate change, severe winter storms and freeze will continue to occur. Infrastructure providers of energy, roads and digital connectivity must design resilient systems to ensure that no one goes without basic needs like warmth in their homes and the ability to be in touch.
But even if there are means for warmth, with the cost-of-living crisis, for far too many, energy is unaffordable. Too many people in Highland are faced with no choice but to go without heating their home. This cold shouldn’t be faced alone.
That is why the instinct still strong in our communities – to look after one another, must be supported.
Many of us are shocked by the astronomical hikes in the cost of heating our homes. This must also be addressed, but the power to regulate the energy sector is in the hands of the UK government, which chooses to ignore calls for change that colleagues and I have made. Which is another reason I wholeheartedly support Scotland becoming independent.
With powers that Scotland does have, I am proud that with Greens in government, we were able to bring about the emergency eviction ban and a temporary cap on rent increases until the end of March. This has ensured that people who might be facing homelessness or steep rent hikes, as we were beginning to see before the measures came into force, are able to remain in their homes during the harshest of winters.
Now through the recently announced Scottish budget we continue to focus on our priorities for this session.
Despite the tough economic backdrop, this is without doubt the Greenest budget in the history of the Scottish Parliament. With action to tackle poverty and cut pollution, this budget delivers for people and for planet.
By lowering the cost of travel, expanding free school meals and ensuring a fairer and more progressive tax system, we are turning long standing Green policies into a reality.
In this past year we worked with the Scottish Government to continue and increase the Scottish Child Payment to £25 a week for every child under 16.
Now we’re increasing social security benefits, funding the expansion of free school meals and putting hundreds of millions of pounds into programmes which help people heat their homes and reduce their fuel bills.
We have also ensured that Scotland has the fairest and most progressive tax system anywhere in the UK.
Supporting each other the way we are this winter must continue as we adapt to the ongoing shocks from climate change. As you can see from a few of our budget wins as Greens in government, we are doing as much as we can to support local councils and communities to lead on local resilience.
Having more money to work with is essential, equally so are the bonds of community spirit – the best gift for everyone this winter.
- Ariane Burgess is a Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands.
