If you live in Scotland, please call on your MSPs to ensure that the new Scottish National Investment Bank only invests in projects which promote biodiversity, environmental wellbeing and the climate.
On Tuesday 21st January, MSPs from the Scottish Parliament will vote on amendments to the new Scottish National Investment Bank Bill. Please ask your MSPs to vote for amendments 30, 30A & 3 to make sure the Bank only invests in projects which promote environmental wellbeing and biodiversity as well as the transition to a net-zero emissions economy.
Why biodiversity matters
The Scottish Government says that the Bank’s primary mission is to help secure the transition to net zero emissions. While this is very positive news, we are concerned that the Bank Bill does not currently mention the protection of biodiversity.
This is particularly worrying because biodiversity is recognised as ‘the infrastructure” that supports all life on the planet’, yet scientists agree that we are in the middle of an ecological crisis with more than 1 million species at risk of extinction and Scotland’s wildlife declining at an alarming rate.
There is a danger that the Bank could invest in projects which harm biodiversity and destroy important wildlife habitats. For example, The Green Investment Bank helped to fund Drax power station’s conversion to burn biomass because burning wood was classified as low carbon. Yet, this has resulted in the clear-felling of biodiverse wetland forests in Europe and America to burn in Drax.
We need MSPs to ensure that this destruction does not happen again and that Scotland’s new Bank only lends to projects which will protect biodiversity, both in Scotland and in other countries.
How to take action
Please ask your MSPs to vote for amendments 30, 30A and 3 to ask the Bank to promote environmental wellbeing and biodiversity as well as facilitate the transition to a net-zero emissions economy.
1.Email
Email your MSPs by entering your postcode here. This will show your constituency and regional MSPs and you can send a message to all of your MSPs.
We have prepared an email for you to copy and paste and send to your MSPs. Please feel free to edit and personalise your message.
Subject Line: Scottish National Investment Bank – protecting biodiversity
Dear [Add MSP Name],
On Tuesday 21st January, MSPs in the Scottish Parliament will debate and vote on amendments to the Scottish National Investment Bank Bill.
I am writing as your constituent because I am very concerned that the Bill does not currently mention protecting biodiversity.
The 2019 IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services warns that biodiversity is in crisis with 1 million species already facing extinction as a result of human activity. Moreover, the latest 2019 State of Nature Reports have found that the abundance of species in Scotland is declining at an alarming rate.
It is vital that the Scottish National Investment Bank only invests in projects which safeguard biodiversity and the environment, both here in Scotland and in other countries. It is equally important that the Scottish National Investment Bank supports the transition to a zero carbon economy.
I am therefore asking you to vote for amendments 30, 30A and 3 of the Scottish National Investment Bank Bill to promote environmental wellbeing, biodiversity and the transition to a net-zero emissions economy:
Yours sincerely,
2.Social Media
We have created some sample tweets below, please click on one to send a tweet and remember to include @ when tweeting to your MSPs