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Publication - Impact assessment

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Scottish Climate Change Bill: Consultation Proposals: Environmental Report

Published
4 December 2008
Topic
Environment and climate change
ISBN
97807559

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Scottish Climate Change Bill: Consultation Proposals: Final Environmental Report (Post-Consultation Issue) November 2008

View supporting documents Supporting documents

8. SEA Monitoring Framework

8.1 SEA Indicators and Monitoring

8.1.1 The SEA Directive requires monitoring of the significant environmental effects of the implementation of the plan under consideration, in order to identify at an early stage any unforeseen adverse effects and to be able to undertake appropriate remedial action. The Directive also recognises that additional monitoring requirements may place heavy demands on responsible authorities and specifically mentions that existing monitoring arrangements may be used, if appropriate, to avoid duplication of effort.

8.1.2 As this is the first ever SEA on proposals for primary legislation in Scotland, it presents an unusual conundrum over the monitoring requirements. The SEA is carried out on the proposals for the Scottish Climate Change Bill, where the actual implementation of the 'plan' under consideration is therefore its process through the Scottish Parliament and that process, in itself, will not lead to any significant environmental effects.

8.1.3 This draft Environmental Report identifies that significant environmental effects are likely to be direct or indirect effects from measures brought forward as a result of the SCCB, rather than direct effects of the proposals themselves. Therefore when the SCCB comes into force as an Act, environmental elements would be more appropriately monitored through lower level plans, programmes and strategy frameworks, such as those discussed in Section 3 of this report.

8.1.4 Ensuring that environmental monitoring takes places as close to the policy or measure which directly affects the environment would better enable remedial action to be taken should any unforeseen environmental impacts result. Given that measures brought forward as a result of the Scottish Climate Change Bill may affect each of the environmental topics and may affect all of Scotland, the use of existing monitoring arrangements becomes especially relevant. It is highly likely that appropriate indicators exist already and are being regularly monitored and even repeatedly used for distinct strategies. Trying to monitor at the strategic level of the Bill would essentially result in a report on the general state of the Scottish environment, rather than improving transparency and enabling particular effects of specific measures to be identified.

8.1.5 Statutory Consultees, and other key stakeholders, have a significant role to play in providing information to the Scottish Government from their existing data gathering activities. The Statutory Consultees may be better placed to advise whether SEA/ environmental monitoring at the strategic level of the proposed Bill (or adopted Act) is required, or whether indicators for monitoring significant environmental effects of measures to meet the SCCB targets are indeed more appropriately addressed through lower level policies, plans and strategies.

8.1.6 Table 8.1 below presents a series of potential environmental indicators that could be used to monitor the significant environmental effects of action to meet the proposed SCCB target. It is intended to be a thought piece to initiate discussion on the type of indicators that could be used and it does not represent a final monitoring framework.

Table 8.1 Potential Indicators and Data Sources

SEA Topic

Potential Indicators

Potential Data Sources

Climatic Factors
  • Change in emissions by GHG
  • Fuel prices/ availability - petrol, gas, oil, biodiesel options
  • Climate change, flooding events, drought, temperature
  • Area of woodland, peatland, wetlands
  • Energy balance - renewable energy produced (windfarm, biomass, etc) minus energy used/ input
  • Area of land developed for energy use, eg. biomass cropping, windfarm development
  • Carbon footprinting - preferably by sector (long term)

Disaggregated Greenhouse Gas Inventories for Scotland
www.airquality.co.uk or http://www.naei.org.uk/

Oil Space
Partnership of corporations and business associations monitoring oil prices and collating energy market data:
http://www.oilspace.com/eng/partners/content.php

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation - progress indicators

Renewables Obligation Scotland - progress indicators

SEPA - flood data

SNH and Forestry Commission Scotland
Woodland, peat land and wetlands inventories
( http://www.snh.org.uk/)

Ecological/ Carbon Footprinting
( http://www.Scotland's-Footprint.com)

Biodiversity, Flora & Fauna
  • Number/ area of biomass projects granted in Scotland
  • Change in abundance of monitored species around biomass projects
  • Number of large scale renewable energy projects granted planning permissions
  • Change in monitored habitat quality around large scale energy projects
  • Change in condition of protected areas around granted projects
  • Number of Appropriate Assessments
  • Change in total wooded area

Scottish Government

Biomass Support Scheme - Provides that grant conditions must promote best environmental practice
( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/19185/BioSupport/BioSupportIntro)

and/ or Renewables and Consent Policy Unit (Scottish Govt.)

The Scottish Biodiversity Forum
( www.biodiversityscotland.gov.uk)

EIA provides for monitoring on a project level and may provide some data for the area around specific projects.

Information on the number of appropriate assessments submitted may be available from SNH as statutory consultees

SNH Website - http://www.snh.org.uk/about/ab-facts.asp

Change in total wooded area - www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland

Soil
  • Total area of land converted to biomass production
  • Number/ area of energy projects granted on high carbon soils
  • Soil quality and quantity - pH of soils converted to biomass production
  • Soil organic matter/ carbon content
  • Total area of soils sealed by energy installations and access roads
  • Extent of soil erosion
  • Development on previously developed/ undeveloped/ agricultural land
  • Land managed under LMC energy schemes

Land Management Contract Awards for biomass projects

(Potentially through SG/ ERAD)

The majority of associated soil data should be available through
National Soils Inventory ( NSI) ( www.macaulay.ac.uk)

SEPA/ SNH/ ECOSSE Project

Significant synergies with information to be monitored for renewable energy strategies and associated SEAs.

Upcoming Scottish Soil Strategy may identify more applicable soil/ climate indicators.

Scottish Environment Statistics.

SG/ ERAD - under the Biomass Action Plan are responsible for the support of biofuel crops under LMC contracts and would likely hold this data.

Water
  • Compliance with WFD objectives
  • Volume of water extracted under CAR licences for biomass irrigation
  • Water quality and quantity
  • Number of offshore energy developments (wind and wave)
  • Number of hydro/ in-river schemes introduced
  • Length of river/ area affected
  • Effects on low flows and aquatic biodiversity

The Scottish Government produces an annual report to Parliament on WFD progress
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Water/17316/8084

CAR Abstraction licensing controlled by SEPA
( http://www.sepa.org.uk/wfdreg/Abstraction.htm).

Scottish Government Renewable energy web pages

Offshore wind and hydro schemes included at::
( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Energy-Consents/Applications-Database/application/17852-1)

SEPA - "Low Flows In Scotland Reports"
( http://www.sepa.org.uk) (under publications)

Air
  • Emissions of key pollutants/ GHG's by sector ( GHG Inventory)
  • Air pollution, odours, nuisance from bio-energy/ CHP/ energy from waste installations
  • Local authority/ SEPA air quality monitoring
  • Change in number of local, rural processing facilities

Disaggregated Greenhouse Gas Inventories for Scotland
www.airquality.co.uk or http://www.naei.org.uk/

Local Authority Odour reports register

http://www.scottishairquality.co.uk/

Data from the Agricultural Business Development Scheme or the Agricultural Processing and Marketing Grants Scheme

Human Health
  • Change in food/ timber miles
  • Change in energy efficiency of housing stock
  • Quality and affordability of housing
  • Change in fuel poverty
  • Visits to the countryside
  • Incidence of disease
    (proxy for vector change)
  • Change in health and well being related to heat/ cold/ flooding, etc.

Food/ timber miles may be difficult to quantify

Energy Savings Trust Website, Scottish Fuel Poverty Indicators
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/housingbuildings/calculators/povertyindicator/

Tourism, housing and health data available on the national statistics website
( http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/SearchRes.asp?term=scotland)

Population
  • Number and security of Scottish jobs
  • International competitiveness
  • Tourism indicators
  • Number of micro-generation units sold
  • Change in aviation/ passenger numbers from Scottish airports

Employment figures and tourism indicators - National Statistics
( http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/SearchRes.asp?term=scotland)

Scottish Government Statistics
( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/)

Scottish Government Business Statistics:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business

Scottish Government Economic Statistics:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Economy

Energy Consents Unit
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Energy-Consents

Material Assets
  • Energy demand by sector
  • Input-output analyses
  • Availability and cost of raw materials
  • Availability of resources from abroad
  • Amount of waste used to treat land
  • Percentage of wastes recovered, recycled, composted, landfilled
  • Number of energy from waste recovery installations/ amount of energy recovered

Scottish Energy Studies
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/01/19092748/0

Scottish Government Statistics
Input/output tables and multipliers.
( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/)

SEPA Waste Data Digest
http://www.sepa.org.uk/nws/data/data_digest.htm

Scottish Government Statistics - Travel and Transport
( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Transport-Travel)

Scottish Government
Renewable Heat Strategy and Biomass Support Scheme Indicators

Landscape
  • Access to countryside, recreation
  • Change in landscape character and historic indicators
  • Uptake of joint LMC measures addressing landscape enhancement
  • Landscape measures implemented under LMC (eg. trees, planting, wetland creation, etc.)

SNH and Historic Scotland
Landscape Character Assessments ( LCA)
Historic Land Use Assessments ( HLA)

Local Authority Core Path Plans and reports

SG/ SEERAD
Land Management Contracts indicators and records

Historic Environment
  • Number of historic sites/ listed buildings/ conservation areas affected by renewables, biomass development or microgeneration

Historic Scotland
( http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/).
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