Updates from 2018 Public Sector Roundtable – Scottish Government

, by shannon@redpaint
In March the first set of Scottish Natural Capital accounts was launched by SG. The accounts provide information on the physical flows and asset value for ten ecosystem services, outlined on the website. The accounts also contain estimates of the total asset value of the stock. This showed that the partial asset value of Scottish natural capital was £273 billion in 2015, which was 34% of the UK asset valuation.  A quarter of the asset value, the regulating and cultural services, was attributable to non-material benefits not directly captured in GDP. Other highlights include:
 
  • In 2017, oil and gas production in Scotland more than halved from 1998 levels.
  • Fish capture in Scottish waters rose by over two-thirds between 2003 and 2016.
  • Scottish timber production nearly doubled from 1997 to 2017.
  • During 2017, water abstraction for public water supply in Scotland fell to its lowest level in the series history, partly due to less leakage.
  • In 2017, five times as much energy was produced from renewable sources in Scotland than was produced in 2000.
  • The removal of PM2.5 from the atmosphere by Scottish vegetation led to overall avoided health damage costs of £52.3 million during 2017.
  • Between 2009 and 2017, annual outdoor recreation time spent per person was 56 hours (65%) higher in Scotland than the UK average.