Scots overwhelmingly support wind power
As US billionaire Donald Trump prepares to appear before MSPs in the Scottish Parliament next week, a new poll published today (Sunday 22 April) shows an overwhelming support for wind power.
The YouGov poll, commissioned by Scottish Renewables, reveals 71 per cent of people in Scotland support wind power as part of our energy mix. It follows a similar UK-wide opinion poll last week that found 67 per cent of people in the UK support wind power.
WWF Scotland strongly disagrees with Donald Trump’s views on windpower and speaking ahead of Mr Trump’s appearance, WWF Scotland Director, Dr Richard Dixon, said:
“We hope that Donald Trump reads this poll, as the results confirm that the people of Scotland overwhelmingly support windpower and its role in delivering a cleaner and greener future.
“The people of Scotland have not been fooled by Mr Trump’s sudden interest in the Scottish coastline, he was quite happy to trash an important bit of it to build his golf course in the first place. Mr Trump’s showbiz bluster shouldn’t be allowed to distract us from getting on with using the huge energy resources of wind, waves and tides that Scotland has been blessed with.
“Renewables are both deliverable and necessary if we are to reduce climate emissions, create jobs and protect householders from rising energy prices caused by the dwindling availability of fossil fuels. Along with increased energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies of all kinds will be needed to help Scotland tackle climate change. We should not be bullied by U.S. billionaires and instead maintain, and even raise, some targets in order to provide the certainty the renewables industry needs to continue to invest in Scotland.”
In its own submission to the Scottish Parliament’s inquiry into the Scottish Government’s Renewable Energy Targets, WWF Scotland made the following points:
• Scotland’s targets for renewable electricity and heat are both achievable;
• Achieving the 100% renewable electricity target is a critical step to achieving Scotland’s climate targets;
• Improving energy efficiency must go hand-in-hand with growth in renewables;
• Rises in electricity prices in recent years are primarily the result of wholesale gas price rises and not renewables; and
• UK gas, coal and oil together received five times the amount of subsidy than wind power did in 2010.