Dr Graeme Purves, Assistant Chief Planner in the Scottish Government’s Directorate for Built Environment will present a seminar outlining how the Scottish Government is working to reduce Scotland’s carbon footprint at the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute tomorrow (Wednesday 24th February 2010).

Dr. Purves will explain how the planning system is contributing to the achievement of Scotland’s ambitious targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the programme of mitigation and adaptation set out in the Scottish Climate Change Delivery Plan.

The Climate Change (Scotland) Bill, introduced into the Scottish Parliament in December 2008, requires Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions to be at least 80% lower in 2050 compared with 1990 levels. An interim target will require emissions to be at least 34% below 1990 levels by 2020.

The statutory planning system has an important role in climate change mitigation through its influence over the location and scale of new development. Development plans, which are prepared by local authorities and the national park authorities, indicate where development should happen and where it should not and provide the basis for decisions about individual applications for planning permission.

The seminar takes place from 2pm at The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen. The seminar is free and open to the public but prior registration is required by contacting Jenna Gray on 01224 395000 or j.gray@macaulay.ac.uk.

ENDS

Information for Editors:

Dr. Graeme Purves is an Assistant Chief Planner in the Scottish Government’s Directorate for the Built Environment. He has many years experience in the development of strategic planning policy, development management and the environmental assessment of policies and proposals. He has a strong background in urban regeneration and rural development and has been active in promoting community participation in environmental management. He has served as a member of a group of international experts advising on good practice in spatial planning in the Celtic and Baltic countries, is a member of the British Irish Council’s working group on spatial planning, and leads the team which prepared Scotland’s second National Planning Framework.

Macaulay Land Use Research Institute

The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute was founded in 1930 and is an international centre for research and consultancy on the environmental and social consequences of rural land uses. With an annual income from research and consultancy of over £14m, the Institute is the largest interdisciplinary research organisation of its kind in Europe, and aims to provide evidence to help shape future environmental and rural-development policy on a national and international basis.