Environment

Wood-burning stoves, bioenergy and peat heating will now be permitted in new homes and buildings following a review of the New Build Heat Standard commissioned by ministers earlier this year.

An amendment to regulations made today permits the installation of bioenergy and peat main heating systems - and any type of secondary heating systems - in new buildings from 1 January 2025, while maintaining the prohibition on mains gas and oil boilers as a main heating system.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has opened its ‘Healthy Planet, Healthy People’: Community-led grant fund (a ‘community’ is defined as a group of people who share an identity-forming narrative).

Legislation that will see Scotland move to using five year carbon budgets to set climate targets has been passed.

The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill amends the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 to introduce limits on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in Scotland over a five-year period.

A new plan to attract responsible private investment into natural capital markets has been launched for Scotland.

Minister for Employment and Investment Tom Arthur launched Scotland's Natural Capital Market Framework as he spoke at the Nature Finance UK 2024 conference.

Scotland’s natural assets contribute more than £40 billion to the economy and support around 260,000 jobs, according to new research!

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon has confirmed an extended consultation period for people to have their say on whether Galloway should be designated a National Park.

New data highlights public desire for practical action. The majority of people across Scotland want to see more action to prevent litter.

Farmer-led groups have recommended the Whole Farm Plan to support farmers and crofters in taking a holistic view of their businesses.

By establishing your current performance and activities, farmers and crofters can identify opportunities for improvement and work towards greater productivity and profitability, positioning their business to contribute to meeting Scotland’s climate and nature targets.

New scientific research published today explores how sharks, skates and rays are distributed around Scotland’s coasts, with the results to be used to help their conservation.

Using existing information about shark, skate and ray distribution around Scotland, a report published today models where the highest numbers of nine threatened species are predicted to occur.