Scotland's leadership crisis a warning on climate politics

Plus, taking another look at the G7's pledge to ban coal.

In today’s edition:

— Climate politics took down a Scottish leader. It won’t be the last time

— U.S. gets serious about household energy waste

— The G7’s move to cut out coal this week is historic. Too bad China isn’t a member

— European wine production fell to 62-year-low last year on global warming

— Spikes in unhealthy air pollution at worst levels in a quarter century in U.S.

— Are beavers the climate heroes of nature?

Scotland’s 10 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1997. There has been an increase in rainfall over Scotland in the past few decades, and average sea level around the UK has risen by approximately 1.4 mm/year since the start of the 20th century. Graphic and data above from Scotland’s environment web, managed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

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Scottish politics has never been for the faint-hearted, but the sudden implosion of First Minister Humza Yousaf’s coalition government last week might be the first time that climate politics actually caused the collapse. It won’t be the last.

The fragile coalition between Yousaf’s Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party fell apart after the First Minister canceled an agreement to cut carbon emissions in the country by 75% before 2030. The Greens quickly said they would support a no-confidence vote, and this week Yousaf resigned.

The subplots of Scottish nationalism, desire for a referendum on independence and corruption probes tied to Yousaf’s party all played their role, but they are all domestic issues. The real warning to political leaders everywhere is that the worse global warming becomes, the more fractious climate politics will be.

Adapting to climate change will be expensive, difficult, and frequently unpopular to at least some segment of the electorate. Even UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who faces a general election later this year, has found that just taking the popular route of cutting climate pledges to save money, is finding that only goes so far.

Green parties are making strides around the world, and already share power in several European countries, including Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Ireland, among others. The days of climate change and transition as a low-priority issue are quickly coming to an end, as Yousaf just learned.

Don’t forget to contact me directly if you have suggestions or ideas at dcallaway@callawayclimateinsights.com.

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