Sutherland Spaceport Gains Scottish Government’s Approval despite Concerns Raised by Environmentalists

The Scottish Government gave the go-ahead to the Sutherland Spaceport. The authority did this despite concerns that the new launch site could interfere with the precious peat bogs. The bogs are unique and contain excess amounts of carbon.

New Launch Site Approved by the Authorities

This new lunch site is part of the growing UK space industry and will launch small satellites into space. If all goes well, construction will be complete in 2022, when the first launch is scheduled to take place. However, environmentalists now have fears of the repercussions of constructing the spaceport in the area.

Flow Country in Sutherland holds the largest blanket of peat bogs in Europe. The main concern is that the precious natural resource could be affected by the launch site, which might be crucial to the environment.

Peat bogs do an excellent job of absorbing carbon from the air. If destroyed, it could go completely against the government’s own promises on tackling climate change and prevent it from reaching its own targets..

Billionaire Anders Povlsen Also Opposed to the Sutherland Spaceport

Another critic of the new UK spaceport is billionaire Anders Povlsen. He made it quite clear he was not approving the planned development from the start and even went to court. Mr Povlsen stated this would gravely impact the natural habitat in the Highlands.

The same concern is surfacing with the peat bogs as the primary focus. According to Monica Lennon, the Labour Party’s net-zero spokeswoman, such a vast deposit of peat bogs is crucial to the environment. She went on to add that as Glasgow hosts the COP26 summit, the Scottish government must be a leader in creating a green economy. This remains a point of concern now when the building of the Sutherland Spaceport is finally approved.