Tories to unveil new environmental initiatives

The Scottish Conservatives are to call for new environmental targets to be set to help stop Scotland's natural resources being used up at the current “unsustainable” rate.

In a new policy paper being published this week, the party will set out initiatives aimed at protecting the environment and tackling climate change.

The policies include a target of 75% of waste by 2035 being recycled through a simple collection system and a call for 10% of all the Scottish Government's capital budget to be spent on energy-efficiency measures, to ensure all homes are energy efficient by 2030.

The party also wants 15,000 hectares of new quality woodland per year planted - up from 7,600 a year in 2015.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and environment spokesman Maurice Golden will launch the new paper in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

In the foreword, published on Monday, Mr Golden said “we can no longer consume our natural resources at the current unsustainable rate and we can no longer think of economic development as a competing force against environmental protection”.

He said the party believes climate change is “one of the greatest challenges we face”.

“By decreasing our reliance on products which are manufactured abroad we can reduce global emissions but also grow the economy and create jobs here in Scotland,” he added.

Ms Davidson said the party wants a “holistic” look at the management of the environment.

He added: “We will prioritise achieving behaviour change, technological advancement, big data and innovation in order to tackle climate change, boost biodiversity, grow the economy, create more, better jobs and ensure new ideas are delivered for the benefit of Scotland.”