One year until Scottish independence vote: sustainability news round-up

The crucial Scottish independence referendum will take place on September 18, 2014: a year today. It remains to be seen how the proposed split from the UK will affect key areas like energy, finance and sustainability.

Here, Blue & Green Tomorrow takes a look at some of the Scotland-themed stories of the past few months.

‘World’s largest tidal power project’ given green light in Scotland

From September 18, 2013: The Scottish government has approved the largest tidal power array in Europe, capable of powering the equivalent of 42,000 homes. Read more.

Scottish renewable target ‘realistic’ with adequate private investment

From September 12, 2013: Audit Scotland has said that there is clear strategy to achieve the country’s 30% renewable target by 2020 and make Scotland become a world leader in clean energy. Read more.

MPs call for Royal Bank of Scotland to split into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ banks

From August 27, 2013: The parliamentary commission on banking standards has asked the chancellor George Osborne to consider splitting up the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), in order to keep its riskier assets separate from its business lending. Read more.

Scotland looks to unlock renewables potential of its islands

From May 15, 2013: Investing in clean energy projects on Scottish islands would help achieve the UK’s 2020 renewables target and create thousands of jobs for the local communities, a new study has said. Read more.

SSE fined £10.5m by regulators for mis-selling

From April 3, 2013: Energy firm Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) has been fined £10.5m by energy regulator Ofgem for deceiving its customers about the true costs of its services. Read more.

Scotland could be go-to place for ethical banking and Islamic finance

From February 26, 2013: Recent figures from the Islamic Finance Council UK (IFC) show that more than 50% of Scots want to see some of their money invested using green or ethical criteria – meaning the country has an opportunity to become a hub for ethical finance. Read more.

Scottish government rejects ‘mistaken’ renewables claims

From February 11, 2013: The Scottish government has brushed off claims that the country’s independence would jeopardise its ambitious renewable energy targets. Read more.

Scotland sets decarbonisation target and urges UK to follow suit

From January 30, 2013: The coalition’s decision not to include a decarbonisation target in last month’s energy bill has been pulled into question, after the Scottish government revealed its plans to cut carbon in its electricity by more than 80% by 2030. Read more.