ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners have said the Scottish Government must include climate change experts on its economic advisory council.
Groups including Friends of the Earth Scotland, the Marine Conservation Society and Keep Scotland Beautiful say environmentalists must be appointed to the council.
In a letter to Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, they say the 10-year economic strategy being developed by the council should have a plan to reduce carbon emissions at the heart of it.
The council of 17 advisers includes business leaders, academics and economists, who have been tasked with developing a “bold” strategy over the summer and early autumn.
READ MORE: Why Scotland's Finance Secretary needs more than one 10-year economic plan
Among them are former Skyscanner chief operating officer Mark Logan, Glasgow University principal Anton Muscatelli, STUC chief Roz Foyer and former head of the Fraser of Allander Institute Professor Graeme Roy.
Matthew Crighton, from Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “Meeting our legally binding climate change commitments must be a clear objective of the new economic transformation strategy and in the remit of the advisory council.
“The Cabinet Secretary needs to appoint environmentalists on to the advisory council to make sure those with a strong understanding of the need to reduce our emissions and prioritise wellbeing are heard at the highest level.
“Issues of climate change and biodiversity loss are stark and force us to change how we see the economy.
READ MORE: Who's on the Scottish Government's new economic council?
“We need to move away from accepting what the markets give us – it’s no longer enough to just have some green sections in our economic strategy, sitting alongside business-as-usual programmes which continue to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and threats to nature.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The remit of the advisory council on economic transformation is clear – to help build an economy that delivers greater, greener and fairer prosperity and enables Scotland to reach net zero.
“The transition to net zero will underpin our new national strategy and many of the council members have been chosen because they already put environmental sustainability to the fore in their own businesses.
“We will publish the strategy in the autumn and hope environmental groups play a full part in the current consultation process.”
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