 Gwladig aethraeb ysgolion, ond ar y Cyflau Gwaith Gwlyb bawb hwn yng Nghym Gwiliaeth Agusolion am y Os missing a members of business debate on motion 10561, in the name of Graham Day, on earth hour 2018. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put, and I would ask those who wish to speak in the debate to press their request to speak butons, please. I can place on record my appreciation of the co-operation of the Conservative chief whip, who I understand intends to contribute for facilitating a debate slot swap, which affords us this opportunity. Last Saturday evening, at 8.30, lights around the world went out to mark WWF's earth. Our annual event is a symbolic act of solidarity for the planet, marking the threat posed by climate change. Globally, hundreds of millions of people take part in earth our events. Members of the public shared some great stories of on-the-night activity on social media. People held candlelit dinners, went on nature trails, staged upcycling and repairing workshops, and the 2050 group had a candlelit kewi. I'm not surprised to learn that research has shown that 85 per cent of those participating in the initiative are likely to have been inspired to do more to protect the planet throughout the rest of the year. That is self-evidently good news, because it is ultimately behavioural change that will make sure that we are on the path that we need to be on in order to halt the worst impacts of climate change. This year, WWF asked members of the public to not just sign up to taking part in earth our 2018, but also to make a promise for the planet. Individuals have been making promises, including when out and about to use a reusable coffee cup or refuse plastic cutlery, taking steps at home such as switching to green energy and turning washing machines down to 30 degrees or wherever they are to reuse and compost left over food. As I suggested in the plastics debate last month, we politicians may have thought that there was a need to prompt behavioural change and absolutely to facilitate it, but we are now most definitely seeing a direction being set by the public, effectively calling for us to make things happen. Whether it is television shows such as Blue Planet, the mess that those undertaking beach queens are finding, or the coffee shops that provided the carrot of a discount for reusing a coffee cup before the big change pleasingly started to do so, there are numerous triggers for the public that are making them realise that we need to act. Some of the steps being encouraged may sound challenging just to think back to the days before the plastic bags charge and how quickly people got on board with that to see that the public will respond. My constituency, I am delighted to hear that Arborodabi participated in this year's initiative, Historic Environment Scotland, is a great supporter of the programme. However, my motion refers to Scotland being the first country to have all councils participating in Earth Hour. I was therefore disappointed to be advised by Angus Council that it would not be participating this year. Personally, I have previously highlighted Angus Council's involvement through, for example, its turning off its lights, raising awareness among staff and community partners of climate change and school lessons. I have since learned through WWF that Angus Council were to free promoting Earth Hour through their internet and social media channels. Forgive me for being underwhelmed when we should all of us be upping our effort, not rowing back. However, outwith the action or lack of significant action from Angus Council, I know that many constituents participated, as indeed did Glam's castle. Those running the castle are in the process of implementing some very positive environmental measures. They are actively looking into powering the castle itself using their hydroelectric plant that runs off the river by the sawmill in the village. That already powers the estate office and the provision of power to the castle would totally remove the need for heating oil and gas. Steps are also being taken to reduce the use of plastics. The thrust of this programme is to remove all plastic carrier bags from retail outlets and replace them with good quality paper bags. The restaurant will also be departing from plastics. Starting this year, any disposable items will be carved. Charging points for electric vehicles are also going to be installed. As the castle says, with over 100,000 visitors a year, it may only be a small contribution, but it is a start. Let's applaud Glam's castle and others who are journeying down the road. We as a society domestically and indeed globally need to tread. Let me acknowledge that, in other parts of Scotland, many other local authorities remain at the forefront of earth hour leadership. Dundee, Aberdein City, Aberdeinshire, Highland Council and Glasgow have all played their part last weekend. Public way-owned Lothian buses showed a promotional animation on their number one route, which is served by fully electric buses. The company, along with the Glasgow subway, the biggest transport providers in Scotland, Scotland's two big cities, have both featured adverts for earth hour 2018. What exactly are we doing all this for? WDF, who deserves enormous credit for coming up with the earth hour concept, recently published a report on wildlife in a warming world based on work undertaken by the University of East Anglia and James Cook University. The research concludes that up to half of plant and animal species in the world's most naturally rich areas, such as the Amazon and the Galapagos, could face total local extension by the turn of the century due to climate change if carbon emissions continue to rise unchecked. Even if the Paris climate agreement's two degrees target is met, those places could lose 25 per cent of their species. The Amazon, for example, has around 10 per cent of all known species in its ecosystems, and it plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate. The region, though, is highly vulnerable to climate change. Even a rise of two degrees would threaten more than one-third of species in all groups without them being able to adapt by moving to other areas. Let's look at Madagascar, a two-degrees rise in global temperatures as forecast to make the country climatically unsuitable for more than a quarter of all species. The call for action, Presiding Officer, is crystal clear. In conclusion, the annual earth hour activities are clearly to be commended. However, whilst they are important, we must remember that it is not only through action now that it is the whole year round that we will have to undertake to be able to tackle climate change and the challenge that it faces head on. Good progress has been made here in Scotland in taking responsibility for that, but we cannot stand still. The Scottish Government's upcoming climate change bill provides an opportunity for us as parliamentarians to lay down a fresh marker, but it is only with behavioural change that, as I said, I believe that the public is now largely leading that we will get to where we need to be on this critical issue. I look forward to earth hour and lights out 2019 and the positive measures that many climate change-related actions citizens across the globe will undertake between now and then as a result of earth hour 2018. As speeches have up to four minutes, I have Maurice Golden followed by David Torrance. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I also congratulate Graham Day for securing this member's debate and have to confess that it was more convenient for me as a keen advocate of climate change to indulge the member in the switch. I would also like to thank WWF for their continued support across the world for tackling climate change and, indeed, their efforts with respect to earth hour. Locally in the west of Scotland, in both east and west of Burtonshire council, were awarded the WWF earth hour super local authority badge. I am sorry to learn about Angus Council, but I hope that next year they will be running for that particular award. Also in East Dunbartonshire, the lights were switched off at William Patrick library in Kirkntillock. Interestingly, the education department and NHS worked together on producing a sustainable school meals cookbook. I am sure that the children of East Dunbartonshire will be delightful in tasting that going forward. Also for this year's promotions, there was hashtag promise for the planet, where individuals can make promises to take action to make a difference in climate change. I would like to focus on a couple of materials that I think we should all be looking at more closely in tackling climate change. The first of which is, of course, plastic. It has been in the media as a result primarily of Blue Planet and David Attenborough, but the interesting statistic is that there will be more plastic by weight in the oceans than there will be fish by 2050. Certainly, over the past 30 years, about 8 billion tonnes of plastics have been produced. However, projections show that, over the next 30 years, there will be 34 billion tonnes of plastic produced. That is an increase of over four times. That is a real worry. What we can do about it is to firstly extend producer responsibility, so those producers of plastic packaging bear more of the cost of disposal. By doing that, we not only begin to encourage producers to take responsibility for their products, but we also begin to influence the design of those products. By designing those products in slightly different manners, we can help to tackle litter. I use an analogy of the old aluminium tin can, where you popped the ring pull-off and you were left with two bits, and the ring pull-off often got discarded. We then redesigned that so that the ring pull maintains with the can. It is that sort of development that we need to see. Also, in terms of plastic, we need to increase recycling, and it will be interesting to see how deposit return can impact on that. The second area that I would like to highlight is that of gold. I was just chatting to my colleague Donald Cameron, who got married 10 years ago. 10 years ago, when he got married for that gold ring that he places on his finger, to produce that gold ring, three tonnes of waste was produced. When my sister got married last year to produce the same gold ring—we are not with the same husband, clearly—to produce that gold ring, 30 tonnes of waste was created. The amount of waste that was created in the gold mining industry is increasing because the quality of ore is decreasing. There are 600,000 children employed in the gold mining industry worldwide, often in some of the poorest conditions. I do not have quite enough time to explain about the use of cyanide, mercury and ferric acid in the gold mining industry. However, to finish on what we can do, there is more gold in one tonne of waste electricals that is discarded in the United Kingdom than there is in the ore found in the rock in Africa, Australia or China. By recovering that and recycling more with respect to gold, plastics and all our other materials, we can begin to tackle climate change. Thank you very much, Mr Golden. Learning lots there. Fascinating. I think that you should have a debate all about that. Sorry, cabinet secretary. Maybe we will just have a chat about it at some time. I have David Torrance to be followed by Alex Rowley. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I would like to thank Graham Day for bringing this motion to Parliament today to recognise the importance of IFAR 2018. I welcome the debate in the chambers that foster great dialogue about the steps that we can take to tackle climate change both on an individual level and the legislative level. Small changes that we make in our daily lives can collectively have a large impact on the environment, and the legislation passed in Parliament can nationally influence our carbon footprint. That is why today we recognise IFAR 2018, providing individuals, businesses, organisations and governments such as ours a way to show solidarity and take one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the last 25 to 30 years have been distressingly damaging on our environment due to climate change, pollution and overconsumption. The list of species affected as a result of these factors is staggering. 80 per cent of freshwater species and over 50 per cent of the population of land species have declined. Today, one in six of the planet species are at risk of extinction from climate change. You can visualise the impact of climate change in the wildlife here in Edinburgh at the National Museum of Scotland. Go to a survival gallery in the natural world section of the museum, and you will see walls of animals that are critically endangered are now extinct. The exhibit is somber but important, as it visualises the fact that the loss of species that we are seeing today is estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than that of natural extinction rates. That is why today we commend the WWF IR campaign. Such a simple concept has a powerful visual impact and causes us all to pause and think about the implications of our daily actions on the environment. I am proud that, as Graeme Dace stated in his motion, Scotland is the first country to have 100 per cent of its councils participate in the hour. In five, five councils switched off the lights in more prominent buildings, including Fife House, Roffsy House, Bankhead Central, Townhouse and Coddy, and the City Chambers down Firmland and the county buildings in Cooper to mark the event. However, our power, as important as it is, cannot be the only step that we take to tackle climate change. Such a symbolic event is designed not only to show solidarity but also to spark action, and it is this action that we need to encourage to support within Scotland via grass-root initiatives but also Parliament legislation. I am pleased that, in Fife, the council has engaged in many diverse projects that tackle climate change. There are 55 energy-efficient projects currently in the works for the council buildings, including the potential installation of photovoltaic panels in schools and nurses. The new built homes programme is achieving a fantastic BEPC energy rating. The council recently increased its electric fleet to 26. The council is also launching three long-term strategies aimed at reducing climate change this year, including zero-waste resources strategy to reduce waste to landfill, low-carbon five supplementary guidance and the sustainable energy climate action plan for low-carbon and energy-efficient measures. With councils across the country taking equally promising measures to tackle climate change and our record record-breaking renewable electricity generation, Scotland is a world leader on reducing carbon footprint. I am glad that Scotland participates so through in the airfare to Verzein and stood alongside the rest of the world with knowledge that, by leading by example, we can pave the way for a greener society. However, let us also keep in mind that progress is never ending and that we must remain committed to continuing to tackle climate change by small changes in our own lives and via forthcoming legislation from the Parliament. In conclusion, I would like to once again thank Graham Day, as well as the World Life Fund, for the recognition of its importance display of global solidarity in tackling climate change. Symbols such as the darkness of earth hour are committed to preserving our planet and taking steps to protect its future. A commitment that affects our entire planet is not one that should be taken lightly. I am proud of the steps that Scotland has taken and continues to take for a greener Scotland and a greener earth. Alex Rowley, followed by Mark Ruskell. Presiding Officer, I believe that climate change is one of the biggest concerns that we face collectively as a society. Our planet is at a very real and serious risk of environmental disaster, unless we make greater change and make that greater change now. That is why I was pleased to sign Graham Day's motion on welcoming earth hour 2018. On Saturday, like millions of people across the globe, I switched my lights off. I have to say that I bought a few candles and it did take me back to the 1970s, when we had the minor strike. I also did not really need the candles because Mossmorran was flaring all weekend. If you live in communities around Mossmorran, then it is pretty lit up and goodness knows what was going up into the atmosphere from Mossmorran, but that is a discussion that we can have on another day. I was also welcoming the number of high-profile buildings in the region, the Mid-Scotland and Fife, including Dunfermline Abbey, Castle Campbell and many buildings in Perth, Dunkel, Cathedral, Skirland Castle. It was very successful. I always think to myself, as a dad and as a grandad, that most parents, grandparents and aunties uncles, we would walk to the end of the earth and back in order to protect our children, yet the greatest threat to future generations is climate change. That is why, while Graham Day points to the fact that people are becoming more aware and demanding more action, I think that we have a long way to go and we need to do more to engage and to involve people. Again, I would say to the cabinet secretary when looking at the climate change bill that is going to be coming forward, we need to start to look at how we are going to engage people more and ensure that the people of Scotland are able to take ownership and the actions that we need to take to be able to meet the 2050 targets that are ambitious but achievable. I notice that WWF Scotland says that we are making good progress and that emissions are now 41 per cent lower than they were in 1990. That, of course, is to be welcomed and that it is good. However, the do-point progress for cutting emissions has been slow in the number of areas that they talk about, such as agriculture, transport, the heating of homes and buildings. If we look at those areas, we have to understand, as the committee knows, that we discussed this yesterday in terms of agriculture. What are the issues that they are? We need to have a better understanding. In terms of transport, we know that the Government has set the target that, by 2032, there will be no further sales of petrol or diesel vehicles. We need to have that discussion in Scotland now. How are we going to actually get there and how are we going to reach that? It is a scandal that in 2018 we still have people living with fuel poverty in Scotland. We have people this winter that have been cold in their houses because, despite trying to heat their houses, the heat is going out, the doors out, the windows and it is poor heating in the first place. Those are real things that we can do and we can do now that we will have a massive advantage for some of the poorest and some of the most vulnerable in our communities. That is a serious issue. There is a lot that the Government is doing and all credit to them. There is a lot more that needs to be done and we need to get on. We are doing that job. I would say to the cabinet secretary that we have to look at how we engage the Holy Scotland in this process. Mark Ruskell, followed by Liam McArthur. Can I join members in thanking Graham Dave for bringing forward this debate tonight and also thank WWF for continuing to lead on this work in Scotland and around the world? Earth Hour is ultimately about creating a catalyst, embedding awareness of climate change into everyday lives and building that momentum for change. This year, WWF asked people to make a promise to the planet to do more to protect the environment. We have heard about some of those suggestions running a washing machine at 30 and getting a reusable coffee mug. Those actions, on their own, make tiny, tiny changes but, as daily reminders and signals to Government and industry, they can spur us on to deliver much deeper and more meaningful change. If we look at what has happened over the past 12 months, there has been a lot of action that has been catalyzed. Who would have thought that an hourly TV nature programme would have spawned a citizens movement against marine plastics, leading to Governments introducing deposit return schemes and planning for action against single-use plastic around Europe? Who would have thought just a few years ago that a ban on fracking in Scotland was achievable, given the huge vested interests that line up against communities across Scotland? The fracking ban has now drawn a line in the sand. It signals the prospect of an end to the fossil fuel age, which would have seemed perhaps hopelessly idealistic just a decade ago. The actions of those citizens movements have delivered change across Europe. We must now look to campaigns on fossil fuel divestment, for example, to deliver action that will have the farthest and most profound reach. Every one of us plans for our personal future through pensions funds, and those funds must take account of the future of our planet and the economy that it sustains. I will declare an interest here as a member of the Scottish Parliament pension scheme trust e-board and emphasise that, of course, the health and performance of investments is the primary concern of anyone involved in the governance of any pension fund, whether private or public sector, but operating under those responsibilities does not preclude considering the views of members and also being wise to the fact that investing in fossil fuel reserves, which we have no hope of burning, is inherently risky business. The growth of carbon bubbles should concern us as much as the growth of housing bubbles, and citizens and scheme members should be part of this divestment discussion. The theme of this year's Earth, Iron Scotland has been around the impacts of climate change on the natural world. If the planet temperature rises by two degrees, a quarter of priority species are at risk of extinction. As we head towards debating the next set of climate change targets, it is important to reflect on the impact of aiming higher or lower on the natural world. We have a moral duty to do everything that we can as early as we can, and, of course, we have yet to make the really tough transformative changes. I am sure that looking back at the debate on whether to make soil testing compulsory or not will seem infinitely trivial in the earth-hour debate of the tenth session of the Scottish Parliament, although, hopefully, Ross Greer or maybe Kate Forbes will reference this quote and reflect back on it. Who knows? Who knows? Maybe Mr Golden? He might still be here. Finally, Presiding Officer, investing in adaptation now is also critical. Coastal wetlands, for example, can lock up carbon, buffer sea level rises and create much-needed habitat at the same time. While the green budget deal has recently passed with the Scottish Government's accelerated action on marine protected areas, it is disappointing that we appear not to have seen any action from SNH and the Government in creating a national ecological network over the last year. It would be good given the theme of earth-hour this year around species protection to maybe get some comments from the Cabinet Secretary on what we can do to really buffer our environment against extremes of climate change. Presiding Officer, there is still much to do in our homes, communities, fields, forests, seas and parliaments, but I think that the dots are starting to join up faster than ever. The momentum for change is unstoppable. Liam McArthur, followed by Donald Cameron. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I congratulate and thank Graham Day for securing the debate and pay tribute to WWF on the earth-hour initiative that has been running for 10 years. I have been a supporter from the get-go. I have even got a kilted panda to prove it. It did come at the cost of having to wear a dolphin mask. However, it is a campaign that has captured the public imagination, as others have said. It has demonstrated, as Mark Ruskell rightly pointed out, that small steps taken together have a cumulative effect. Probably more importantly, it sensitises the public to the broader messages and the need for wider action and reform, not just on earth-hour but year-round. The global impact is unquestionable. The motion refers to the part that was played by the Sydney Opera House, Eiffel Tower and Edinburgh Castle. If I could add to that, it is a magnificent cathedral in my constituency, as well as the architecturally less impressive but no less committed headquarters of Orkney Islands Council and NHS Orkney. On the promise to the planet, which is the message that is being reinforced through earth-hour this year, I can update the Parliament that on-going negotiations in the MacArthur household are reaching a delicate stage in the purchase of a hybrid vehicle and more of that perhaps in due course. However, I do believe that the campaign is going from strength to strength at a local, at a national and international level. As I said, it opens up opportunities to debate more substantive issues. I want to focus just on a couple in the two or three minutes available to me. There is a biodiversity and energy efficiency as a species champion for the Primula Scotica, since you asked it, Presiding Officer. I am very conscious of the threat posed by the loss of biodiversity. The link briefing pointed to the State of Nature report from 2016, which suggests that one in 10 Scottish species is at risk of extinction. It includes plant, butterflies, birds including puffins and kittywakes. Scotland ranks in the bottom fifth of all 218 countries that are analysed as part of the biodiversity intactness index. Leaving aside the very justifiable concerns that we all have about the clumsy title for an index, that finding should act as a stark reminder of the work that is needed to restore and protect habitats as a means of safeguarding that biodiversity. Turning now to energy efficiency, earth power again should act as a reminder that here too, while we have made considerable progress, there is an awful lot still to do. Last week, on the eve of earth power, I took part in visits in my Orney constituency, organised by the existing Homes Alliance. Colleagues, I am sure, will be aware that Orney has the very dubious honour of being a part of the country with the highest level of fuel poverty anywhere. Friday's visits to an elderly couple who have benefited from measures taken under the warm home scheme and also a local contractor, R.S. Merriman, delivering high-quality work under the scheme underscored for me the social, economic and environmental imperatives of the approach that we take here. To secure that win-win situation, we need, I believe, a warm homes bill that remains ambitious in genuine eradication of fuel poverty, that properly recognises the rural and island dimension to fuel poverty and how we tackle it, and translates the status of energy efficiency as a national planning framework priority into action and the budget to back it. However, for now, I congratulate Graham Day again on not least on his negotiating skills with the Tory chief whip, and I also congratulate WWF on keeping the issue of climate change to the fore, not just for an hour, not just for a day, but year-round. The last of the open debate contributions is from Donald Cameron. I, too, would like to thank Graham Day for bringing this important debate to Parliament today. On last Saturday, thousands of people in Scotland added their voices to millions across the world by switching off for Earth Hour in demonstration of solidarity to fight climate change. I attempted my own candlelit supper, although with young children involved it was not the most peaceful of moments. Earth Hour is not just about raising awareness, but also stimulating action and indeed enthusing people. WWF research shows that, in previous years, 85 per cent of adults who took part have said that Earth Hour had inspired them to do more to protect the planet. In a recent report at WWF, they have highlighted the grave problems that are facing wildlife, for example, across the globe as a result of rising temperatures, which lead to habitat loss and drought, among other devastating effects. At this point, I should mention that I am the species champion of the Merlin bird. The RSPB has said that one of the main reasons for the decline of the Merlin bird is, in fact, habitat loss. Despite the Paris Agreement, which, of course, as we know, aims to limit the average global temperature at 1.5 degrees, current national climate pledges would still result in a 3.2 degrees rise in temperature. If we just carried on with a status quo, business as usual would lead to a 4.5 degrees rise. That would lead to a staggering loss of almost 50 per cent of the species found in priority places across the planet, and that is simply unacceptable. Although Scotland does not fall under one of WWF's priority places, we all acknowledge that we have an important crucial role to play in environmental and wildlife restoration, given the fragility of our planet. As we know, Scotland is home to various carbon stores such as CLOX, which were recently highlighted in a report by St Andrew's university, as one carbon store requiring greater attention. Peatland restoration is also important, as it is estimated by SNH, that our peat bogs hold 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon and that degraded peatland emits substantial amounts of carbon dioxide. Nationally, we must ensure that we take steps to conserve Scotland's biodiversity and natural areas, because, as SNH has stated, healthy ecosystems help to increase the resilience of Scotland's communities to the impacts of climate change. Through managing our many varied ecosystems, such as coastal habitats, we can help to address the effects of rising sea level and increased storm surges. On a more local level, I am extremely proud to say that many communities across the Highlands and Islands made their voices heard on Saturday by taking part and switching off for Earth Hour. I hope that you will permit me a few mentions. From the Western Isles, where lights at the Lewis War Memorial were temporarily switched off, to the Highlands, where lights at Inverness Castle, Eiland Donan and Urquhart Castle—to name but a few—were all drawn into darkness for an hour. I also mentioned Kinlock-Leven library, which held a polar bear lantern craft making event in honour of Earth Hour. As we know, Highland Council, which has been mentioned by Graham Day, was awarded a 2018 super-local authority badge for its substantial contribution towards Earth Hour. It is not just local authorities in my region who have contributed, but many constituents have made pledges of support. I also mentioned the six-year-old schoolboy Felix Hughes from Oban, who campaigned to find a way to recycle the thousand single-use plastic straws that he estimates are thrown away daily at his school. I applaud WWF Scotland for its efforts in promoting Earth Hour and encouraging more of us to get involved and make changes in our everyday lives. We must be bold as a nation in our fight to prevent damaging climate change, and I am particularly encouraged by the fact that this issue is one that brings everyone across this Parliament together. I now call Roseanne Cunningham to respond to the debate for around seven minutes, please, cabinet secretary. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am delighted that we again have the opportunity to debate support for climate action in Parliament today. I am impressed by the level of participation in Earth Hour around the world and within Scotland, where 177 Scottish landmarks and monuments went dark. We have had an unusual tour of constituencies in this debate, and I would just like to add to that, given that in this year of young people, it is also good to know that many schools signed up. In my constituency, Morrison's academy in Creeff and Ochl Tire School, Ochl Tire Arder, were among the over 1,000 Scottish schools taking part. This is a tenth year of Scottish Government support for Earth Hour. We joined Saturday's switch-off with St Andrew's House, Victoria Key, Atlantic Key and Softenhouse, all going dark. And, likely, in MacArthur, I also lent my support to Earth Hour going dark and joining in on Twitter with Ayla the Kiltwearing Panda for past the panda, which I understand is the hashtag being used. This year, Earth Hour grew to include a hashtag promise for the planet, pledges by members of the public to make a lifestyle change as part of living more sustainably. One of the most popular pledges was using a reusable coffee cup. Thank goodness, it is something that I myself do, and I urge other members to do the same if they are not already doing it. I also wonder whether the two hashtags are beginning to flag up an Earth Hour fringe developing, and it will be interesting to see if that increases again next year. Maurice Golden talked about plastics, ringpoles and deposit return, which was an interesting choice. I am not going to enter into the gold debate, because, although as interesting it was, it is perhaps beyond for tonight's debate. On plastics, I reassure him that issues of production, design and manufacture are very much in our minds and will be represented at the June summit in Oben. With regard to ringpoles, I have to also advise him that I have a rather expensive designer belt made from ringpoles, which can be bought in a rather flashy shop in London, a shop that makes belts and handbags that have become quite sought-after accessories, so all is not lost for ringpoles. On deposit return, Maurice Golden mentioned that I am proud that Scotland was the first part of the UK to commit to introducing a deposit return scheme. I am pleased to learn that the UK Government will now follow our lead. We have ambitious plans and we wish to work closely with the UK Government to ensure that communities north and south of the border reap the environmental benefits that a deposit return scheme can deliver. I am currently appointing an expert panel to advise on environmental charges and other measures to prevent wasteful behaviours, which will begin its work with consideration of disposable cups and plastic straws, and there will perhaps be more about that in other chamber interventions. Graham Day rightly flagged up that public pressure is now driving change, so who knows where that will take us, because it means that behaviour change is happening. That is an interesting development, and it is perhaps five years ago something that we would not necessarily have foreseen taking place. Members, including David Torrance and Alec Rowley and others, spoke about climate change. Of course, 2018 is a big year in Scotland for climate change, as well as the climate change plan publication. This month, we awarded the 1,000th climate challenge fund project. Next month, officials will hold a climate conversation with our youth Parliament, and the coming months we will see the introduction of our new climate change bill, the establishment of a just transition commission to advise ministers on the transition to a low-carbon economy, and the start of the process to develop the second Scottish climate change adaptation programme, which will no doubt be of interest to Mark Ruskell, given his focus on adaptation. Since 2008, the Scottish Government has, through our successful climate challenge fund, funded projects to the value of more than £101 million, directly helping communities to tackle climate change. Earlier this month, members may have noticed that the First Minister visited Welshot primary school in Glasgow to celebrate that 1,000th climate challenge fund award, which was made to Bike for Good, which is part of the switch to active travel. Influencing our everyday actions is key to delivering our climate change ambitions. Individuals and households can make a difference, as is shown by the earth, our pledges, but is also shown by the reaction to blue planet, and the change that is coming about through the political pressure being exerted by ordinary people. The Scottish Government is encouraging the public to do more through our greener together campaigns, including our current saving the world campaign, which you may have seen on social media, television and in cinemas. Alex Rowley might be interested in knowing that, as part of an on-going engagement with the public, we initiated a series of climate conversations across Scotland, starting in summer 2016, to take the temperature of public views on climate change and actions that might be needed to tackle it. By participating in climate conversations, people who do not usually talk about climate change are able to engage in the issues in a way that matters to them. Those conversations are continuing across Scotland, and the findings that are feeding into the development and communication of climate change policies, I am sure that officials would be happy to share details with members if they are interested. Scotland was at the forefront of the industrial revolution and therefore has a responsibility to deal with climate change. That is why we already have the most stringent climate change legislation in the world, why we include emissions from sources that other countries exclude, and why we hold ourselves to account against annual targets. No other country does that. The new climate change bill will increase the ambition of our long-term targets. In doing so, we will become one of the first countries to put in place legislation to play our part in meeting the goals of the Paris agreement. I want to say something in the last few seconds about climate justice. We have been championing climate justice since 2012, when we launched the world-leading climate justice fund and it was a world first. A total of £21 million has been made available up to 2021 to support some of the world's most vulnerable people in becoming more resilient to climate change. Last year, we launched the climate justice innovation fund as part of the wider climate justice fund, so I am pleased to announce that the second round of the innovation fund has been opened today. I look forward to funding another round of innovative and exciting climate justice projects. It is good to see the enthusiasm that EarthR has generated. I look forward to working with everyone across the chamber as we make the transition to an environmentally and socially sustainable low-carbon economy in Scotland. Our plans are ambitious and everyone's support will be crucial. That concludes the debate. The meeting is closed.