Vicky Allan

Scotland is on course to miss its climate targets because heat-pump installations remain in the low thousands, far below the roughly 170,000 annual installations that the UK Climate Change Committee says will be needed by 2035. WWF Scotland, housing advocates and opposition politicians are urging the Scottish Government to strengthen the Heat in Buildings Bill, establish a timetable for phasing out fossil-fuel heating and provide greater support for households vulnerable to fuel poverty. The government says it has allocated more than £330 million to clean heating and energy efficiency and will outline further measures in its Programme for Government.

International Aufguss Masters transforms a giant Edinburgh Fringe sauna into an immersive theatrical performance combining storytelling, heat, steam, aromas, music and choreographed towel movements. The review highlights the work of creators James Grieve, Lucy Osborne and Deborah Carr, and praises performers Anita and Christian for turning the sauna ritual into something resembling circus and theatre. Although the format is difficult to assess like a conventional Fringe show, its intense physical and sensory impact earns it four stars.

The collapse of oyster beds in the Firth of Forth is used as an analogy for the tragedy of the commons created by continued fossil-fuel extraction. The column argues that the UK’s Rosebank and Jackdaw developments, like new drilling and exploration projects worldwide, reflect governments’ willingness to prioritize demand, jobs and revenues despite net-zero commitments and growing climate damage. It highlights the significance of a climate test requiring projects to account for the emissions generated by burning their fuels, and cites research suggesting new oil and gas fields are inconsistent with the Paris Agreement. The piece concludes that avoiding climate catastrophe requires collective action, stronger institutions and individual efforts to reduce fossil-fuel demand.

Strathglass Community Council is urging Highland Council to halt or reconsider the approved Bingally electricity substation near Glen Affric because its proposed open-air AIS design could increase wildfire risk and damage carbon-rich peatland beside a national nature reserve. Campaigners and former Scottish wildfire lead Bruce Farquharson argue that a smaller GIS design would reduce the site's footprint and potential failure-related fire risk, while also improving access and limiting fuel around the infrastructure. SSEN says AIS is a safe, proven technology that meets UK standards and is essential for connecting renewable energy, and Highland Council maintains that fire safety is generally regulated outside the planning system. The council is challenging the project during consideration of pre-commencement environmental conditions, including the peat management plan.

Edinburgh-based pianist Vroni Holzmann has spent 25 years touring streets and towns across Europe with an 80-year-old Steingraeber & Söhne piano, performing boogie-woogie, ragtime, Fats Waller, Rimsky-Korsakov and her own compositions. Despite repeated breakdowns, poor weather, financial strain, cancelled tours and personal responsibilities—including caring for her mother and a friend with cancer—she continues because she values spontaneous connection with audiences over stage performances or profit. Her appearance on Channel 4’s The Piano brought wider attention, while her Edinburgh Fringe performances at the Pianodrome and around the Meadows continue the touring tradition.

The Nine Community Council Group, which represents nine community councils in East Ayrshire’s former coal-mining communities, says developers are undermining a collaborative model for distributing wind-farm benefits. It criticised Blackwood Wind Farm for signing an agreement with New Cumnock Community Council alone and RWE for appointing Foundation Scotland to administer the Enoch Hill fund instead of using the 9CCG. The group says the area could receive more than £200 million over 35 years and argues that coordinated local decision-making is needed to fund lasting economic and social projects. Blackwood says residents want those closest to its development to benefit, while RWE says its selection of Foundation Scotland followed due diligence and will provide independent, transparent administration. The dispute highlights the voluntary nature of community benefits and calls for stronger oversight or mandatory contributions.

The Ethical Dairy near Kirkcudbright has pioneered commercial cow-and-calf dairying in Europe, allowing calves to remain with their mothers for five to six months instead of separating them soon after birth. After a disastrous 2012 pilot involving stress, mastitis and lameness, David and Wilma Finlay refined the system and committed to it in 2019. The farm says the model has reduced greenhouse-gas emissions by more than half and antibiotic use by 90%, while extending cows’ productive lives and creating a distinctive market for its artisan cheeses. The approach, documented in A Dairy Story, has inspired a growing number of similar UK dairies and intensified debate over conventional calf-separation practices and animal-welfare claims.

Campaigners have urged customers, investors and executives to sever ties with Loch Duart after footage from its Reintraid site appeared to show salmon with bulging eyes, ulcers, fin damage and other signs of illness. Official records describe substantial mortality at Loch Duart farms, including disease outbreaks, high lice levels and more than 250,000 deaths at Loch a Chairn Bhain during a five-week period in 2025. Loch Duart rejects the campaigners' characterization, saying the footage is selectively curated or partly unverifiable, that most fish are healthy, and that activist trespass and harassment create safety and biosecurity risks. The company's smaller scale, recent mortality events, operating loss and reliance on biomass insurance illustrate the financial and reputational risks facing Scottish salmon producers, while the wider industry also reports significant welfare problems.

The John Muir Trust faces sustained internal turmoil as senior staff and former trustees criticize CEO David Balharry and chair Jane Smallman over what they describe as failed leadership, poor governance and mishandling of financial and organisational crises. Recent resignations, including policy head Thomas Widrow, cite loss of confidence and alleged obstruction of environmental advocacy work. The charity has seen significant turnover in staff and trustees, and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator is investigating. While some argue the Trust’s mission remains vital, ongoing disputes and leadership resistance to stepping down fuel concerns about the organization’s future stability and credibility.

Rapid expansion of hyperscale data centres in Scotland has prompted calls for a moratorium as communities, energy systems and planning frameworks struggle to keep pace. Forecasts show data centre energy demand rising sharply, while construction outpaces new energy generation capacity. Campaigners challenge the classification of data centres as green developments, and UK parliamentary scrutiny is increasing. Experts argue that AI sovereignty requires significant data centre growth, yet warn of rising emissions and energy bills. Some propose making data centres more flexible grid assets. Scottish and UK campaigners push for greater oversight, with growing political debate over how to balance economic opportunity, environmental impact and infrastructure limits.