Science and the Parliament 2007

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) hosted its annual Science and the Parliament event at Our Dynamic Earth on Wednesday 28 November. As well as the RSC a range of other scientific disciplines participated, The event provides a great opportunity for the science and political community to come together and discuss some of the key issues facing us today. 

Within the first few months of the new parliamentary session much political attention has been paid to the issue of energy and climate change. The scientific community recognises the need to explore the subject within the Scottish context and hence the focus this year being Energy and Climate Change - The Science Behind the Energy Debate. 

The President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Professor Jim Feast, welcomed the commitment shown by Scottish Parliamentarians to the event demonstrated by the attendance and participation of the Government Minister for Climate Change Stewart Stevenson, and the participation of MSP's of all parties, including Iain Gray of Labour, the Conservative Alex Johnstone, Liam McArthur of the Liberal Democrats and Robin Harper the Green co-leader.

The event looked at the whole range of ways in which science can contribute to tackling climate change, including breakout sessions focusing on alternative fuels for transport, renewable energy, electricity generation, and energy conservation.

A Scottish Parliamentary Motion was tabled and debated in the Scottish Parliament that afternoon.(See below for a full copy of the motion)

In the evening over 30 Organisations put on an exhibition providing the ideal opportunity for networking between the political and scientific communities. 

RSC chief executive, Dr Richard Pike, said "I hope that the Science and the Parliament event has helped to give policy makers some new ideas of how the world of science can help tackle the issue of carbon emissions, and I look forward to seeing the proposals of the Scottish Government for its own Climate Change Bill which will be considered in 2008."