I've often said on here that it is a folly for governments to set targets for themselves that are easily achievable. It does nobody any good, and stymies ambition.
If you know you're going to achieve something with the minimal of effort, then you'll put the minimal of effort into "achieving" it.
When it comes to climate change, we can't afford to put the minimal of effort in. We've got to be ambitious in our mindsets.
This Scottish Government has been increasingly unambitious. They were cajoled and harassed by the rest of parliament into upping their carbon reduction limits to 42% by 2020. Yes, they're the highest in the world but they could be so much more.
And then they announced that they would only go for a 0.3% reduction in 2012, after a 0.5% reduction next year. Basically, they were going for the low-hanging fruit. They knew they could achieve this, so that's what they said they would aim for. No ambition was involved in the decision.
Study after study has shown that Scotland could have so much renewable energy that it wouldn't know what to do with it all. A new study, released by the government today, reveals that the country could produce 123% of it's power with renewables. The current target is 50% by 2017.
So if the current target is 50%, and we could produce 123%, then surely the government should get some ambition and announce that's what their new target will be?
Ah, no. That's just crazy talk. Their new target is 80%. Cos it's achievable, see?
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