Resources

Chapter Summary

Sorted’s Resources chapter shows how Scotland’s resources can be utilised more democratically, more purposefully and less wastefully. Showing how we can get the most from our resources but safeguard them for the future. We have fallen into wasteful habits and are unable to make informed choices about the products we buy. It’s time for some innovation and change to the way in which we consume. Remember a resource wasted is an opportunity lost.

Main Themes

Scotland Needs a Green New Deal
Common Weal already have the first ever costed plan to transform our economy and harness our abundant renewable energy sources.

Create a National Energy Company -To produce and manage our electricity needs, which in turn drives prices down. -Implement an energy industrial policy to manage resources, which creates employment and wealth

District Heating System
-A once in many generations task which provides efficient and cost effective heat for domestic homes

A Scottish Circular Economy -a plan for the economy Scotland must achieve to stop the waste, over-consumption and misuse of resources
-Extend the use of products through design and fund a national institute of Circular Product Design
-Repair, reuse, and recycle as a last resort.
-Share rather than own through the use of a National Leasing Company

Externalities- The true cost of something, which often remains hidden.
-Tax added to price to cover additional environmental costs of products through a National Consumer Agency
-Encourage locally made quality products and reward responsibly produced products

Land Use and Ownership
-Democratise Scotland’s land ownership
-Increase land ownership for the many not the few
-Compulsory sales and purchase orders
-This will increase biodiversity and capture more carbon

National Food Company and Cooperatives
-Accelerate transition to new growing techniques and encourage Agroecology (indoor growing)
-Cut down on food waste

A World of New Materials
-Replace plastics made from oil with Bioplastics
-Encourage the use of Cross Laminated Timber and the growing of Hemp and its products

Water and Seas
-Create a Marine and Coastal Industrial Strategy
-Reverse the degraded state of sea beds
-Spread fish quotas
-Decentralise the governance of fish farming and processing Industries
-Restore rivers to natural paths

Reports on Resources and A Green new Deal

ScotWind: Privatising Scotland's Future Again↗

The ScotWind auction risks selling off Scotland's renewable future to the private sector and thus making the same mistakes as were made with our oil.

The Opportunities of a Good Food Nation↗

The Good Food Nation Bill squandered an opportunity to harness Scotland's agricultural resources - here's what we should have done.

Town Centre Action Plan Review↗

Our towns are the central hubs of our communities and the means by which we access our resources. But they are being actively killed off by economic strategy that favours big business monopolies, volume housebuilding and car-centric town planning.

Our Land↗

Scotland's greatest resource is our land...but it is largely privatised and concentrated in the hands of just a few hundred people. Here's how we get it back.

Scotland's Data Desert↗

Resources aren't just materials. Data allows us to plan, to measure and to allocate our resources for maximum effectiveness. Scotland currently sits in a Data Desert and should create a National Statistics Agency to cover gaps in current provision (note: We one this as SNP policy in 2019 but Government hasn't adopted it)

How to use Scotland’s natural resources for the good of all. A Scottish retail worker discusses the changes that transformed her life.

Read as Amal chats about how her day to day life has changed for the better since independence. From where her energy is sourced, the insulation in her home, where her food comes from and being part of a circular economy. Common Weal has created a fictional character to show how Scotland could have better policy surrounding resources. While watching, think how your life could be improved by these policies.

Amal's Story

Hi I’m Amal,

I work at a local clothes boutique; I love my work. In the past couple of years I’ve had a hand in helping to make the shop a lot more environmentally friendly, it’s also really helped business. We now offer a repair scheme where we help mend clothes even if they weren’t bought at our shop. Most recently we’ve started a rental service, it’s great. Just this morning I helped someone find an outfit for a wedding. To be honest the whole of Scotland has really embraced being a circular economy with the help of our proper Green New Deal.

That’s not all that’s changed. Where we get our food has changed dramatically for the better. From the supermarkets to local restaurants, to the food van I got my lunch from today. We no longer import cheap processed food, and have started to use new technologies such as vertical farming to grow food here. That means we don’t need to be shipped or sprayed with pesticides.

I’ve recently moved into my new flat, it’s a newbuild council house right in the middle of town. It’s great to know that I don’t waste energy on a flat that leaks heat as it’s properly insulated. It’s also built to a high standard using new building techniques that support the growing timber industry in Scotland. I wasn’t sure at first but our heating comes from the new district heating system, but it works well and my bill is really low. It helps that all our energy comes from right here in Scotland.

I’m valued in my job and my wage now reflects that but with the help of the Universal Basic Income I can really prioritise recreation and doing things for fun and relaxation. Recently I used the Be-Active app which lets you know all the activities available in your area to join a local boxing class.

Although Amal’s story is only fictional right now, it doesn’t always have to be that way. There are many ways that Scotland can make better use of all of its resources that benefit everyone, not just the privileged.

As we explained in our blueprint Our Common Home, the climate emergency presents us with a vital opportunity, to build an alternative economy that values Scotlands resources and actually seeks to improve our living standards and places. We have a plan to get Scotland #Sorted. Click on the the link to explore more ideas surrounding this.