A new poll shows people in Scotland believe the Government should prioritise economic recovery measures that tackle climate change and enhance nature
A new poll released today shows three-quarters of people living in Scotland believe the Scottish Government should prioritise measures for a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The poll shows strong public support for measures that improve our quality of life, tackle climate change and enhance nature. It also reveals that 76% of people in Scotland have become more aware of nature in their everyday life during the recent lockdown.
Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of leading environmental charities, has welcomed the results which demonstrate strong support for green projects, including enhancement of Scotland’s nature through woodland expansion and restoration, peatland restoration and new high quality and accessible green spaces.
The poll results also highlight strong public support for initiatives to deliver nature-friendly farming and enhanced re-use and recycling enterprises, reflecting concerns about access to food and higher levels of plastic pollution that have been raised during lockdown.
The charities are now calling for investment in ‘ready-to-go’ environmental projects to deliver these much-needed improvements to Scotland’s environment while creating new jobs and opportunities for traineeships.
Deborah Long, Chief Officer of Scottish Environment LINK said: “The poll results highlight how important nature has been for the wellbeing of many of us during the recent lockdown, with people spending more time in their local environment. It also shows the great importance the public is placing on an economic recovery to the pandemic to lead us to a fairer, greener Scotland, with greater levels of support for an economic recovery that prioritises green projects. At Scottish Environment LINK we have been working with members to gather information about where rapid investment in on-the-ground projects could lead to better environmental outcomes benefitting us all.”
Some of the projects proposed, where the charities believe rapid investment could lead to vital environmental benefits, include peatland restoration, woodland restoration, new urban green spaces, improving access to healthy food and tackling plastic pollution.
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Posted On: 10/08/2020