Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has launched a £6m (€6.5m) sustainable heating project aimed at contributing to a carbon neutral Stirling.
The Stirling District Heat Network, which has received £2m (€2.17m) through the government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme, deploys innovative renewable energy generation technology to produce affordable, low carbon heating using recycled wastewater. It was developed in partnership with Stirling Council and Scottish Water Horizons, the commercial sustainability arm of Scottish Water; as part of a raft of measures geared towards establishing a carbon neutral Stirling.
Sturgeon said: “Earlier this year Scotland became one of the first countries in the world to acknowledge the fact that we are facing a global climate emergency; and it is only right that we take appropriate action, with all policies being re-examined to ensure they meet our climate ambitions. That’s why the action we’ve announced today is important – and it will build on the world-leading measures already underway to address the climate crisis we face.
“We have already proposed one of the most ambitious statutory emissions targets anywhere in the world, and today’s announcements illustrate our commitment to developing new and innovative policies which will make a real difference. The Stirling Renewable Heat Demonstration Project is a great example of this, using wastewater to help provide energy to local businesses and public buildings. We are also changing the way we work as a government to provide an example to others, and our commitment to ensure future meetings are as low carbon as possible is testament to this.”
Additional measures contributing to the establishment of a fully carbon neutral Stirling – which would see the city become the first in Scotland to reach net zero emissions – include an expanded educational programme for teenagers to raise awareness of the causes and impacts of the climate emergency. In addition Sturgeon’s Travelling Cabinet, which sees ministers periodically meet in different regions of Scotland, has pledged to offset the emissions produced as a result of its journeys by planting trees in a community forest.
