We ignore poverty and visit ruin on the planet. But I have a plan... | Kevin McKenna

If Nicola Sturgeon is serious about making Scotland carbon-neutral, she should read my modest proposalPerhaps there's a reason why still too few of us pay heed to warnings about how we are killing the planet by cruel and unusual methods. How can you persuade people to stop endangering other species and start protecting the environment when they don't seem concerned about torturing themselves?According to Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, almost one in four (230,000) of Scotland's children are officially recognised as living in poverty, one of the highest rates in Europe. And unless there is a significant policy shift north and south of the border, the Institute for Fiscal Studies is forecasting that more than a third of UK children will be in poverty by 2022. The charity's definition of child poverty is a reasonable one: "It means growing up in families without the resources to obtain the type of diet, participate in the activities and have the living conditions and amenities which are the norm in 21st-century Scotland." Continue reading...