Dame Ellen MacArthur to advise ministers on environment

A round-the-world yachtswoman and a wildlife filmmaker will sit on a committee advising the Scottish government on environmental issues.

Record-breaking sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur and broadcaster Gordon Buchanan will join scientists and climate activists in the new group.

It will be chaired by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Prof Sir Ian Boyd, a former advisor to the UK government.

They will present their proposals in a report at COP26 in Glasgow in November.

It comes after a major UN scientific report warned of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding.

But the study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said deep cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases could stabilise rising temperatures.

The government said the the first minister's environmental council would meet regularly to discuss issues including biodiversity, marine resources, waste, and the nature-based aspects of climate change.

Among the most prominent names on the committee of 14 experts is Dame Ellen MacArthur, who set the world record for the fastest solo non-stop voyage around the world in 2005.

She is a champion for a "circular economy", and her Ellen MacArthur Foundation says it wants to "transform our throwaway economy into one where waste is eliminated, resources are circulated and nature is regenerated".

Meanwhile Gordon Buchanan is well-known for his wildlife films including, most recently, the BBC series Cheetah Family & Me.

Its co-chair, Sir Ian Boyd, is a professor of biology at St Andrews University. He was chief scientific advisor to the department of environment, food and agriculture until 2019 and is due to become the next president of the Royal Society of Biology next year.

Others on the committee include Susan Davies, the chief executive of the Scottish Seabird Centre; Yadvinder Malhi, a professor of ecosystem science at the University of Oxford; and Erin Fowler, a environmentalist and masters student at the University of Glasgow.

Revati Campbell, a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, and Sandra Diaz, a professor of ecology at Córdoba National University in Argentina, are also in the group.

Ms Sturgeon said that following the IPCC report it was "crucial that the international community takes this opportunity to significantly raise global climate action and ambition".

"With COP26 coming to Glasgow, Scotland has a unique opportunity to show leadership on the international stage," she added.

The first minister said the group would advise on international best practice to tackle the challenge.

Scotland is committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2045.

"The group will balance experience, a strong international perspective, the youth voice, and topical awareness, at the highest, global level," she said.

"As well as acting as a sounding board for our near term policies, the group will advise us on the long-term policy trajectory for Scotland - taking into account the opportunities that becoming a net-zero society presents: growing our economy, improving our health and wellbeing and protecting Scotland's iconic natural environment."

Lang Banks, director of WWF Scotland, said Scotland was well-positioned to play a leading role in tackling "climate and nature emergencies".

"In most cases we already know what needs to be done to halt climate change and restore nature," he said.

"However, what we need to see is swift and focussed action, with the Scottish government leading the way. We hope that this new group can help support Scottish ministers to more rapidly deliver a future where people and nature thrive."