The backlash against heat pumps had only just started last time I talked about environmental politics here. We’re now so high on the fumes of the whole saga that it’s tempting to cheer when one businessman pops up to tell another one they’re talking pish. Having spent a bit of time considering the question of how to decarbonise Scotland’s homes in both an academic context and a professional one, this conversation has made me want to scream. There’s some obvious nonsense in the mix – heat pumps don’t work in Scotland because it’s too cold? tell that to the people who already have the damn things up and running! – along with some well known problems presented as though they haven’t occurred to anyone involved.

The issue of Scotland’s tenement flats is a real one. We know that heating whole blocks from a single source will be key in many cases. We also know that the mixed ownership and use of these buildings will make establishing heat networks in them a massive pain in the arse. There’s a 155 page Heat in Buildings Strategy out there, and these concerns are very much part of the mix, albeit a part with a time frame a decade down the line from now.

The distortions at work here aren’t as existential as a lot of what passes for serious thought right now. We’re not debating exactly how excluded from public life trans people need to be before we can declare ourselves “grown up” political operators, or doing napkin mathematics to show exactly how hungry children need to be before the markets will love us again. Nonetheless, the environment in which these discussions are taking place is grim and reactionary, and gives us another opportunity to reflect on how those more insidious arguments have been able to flourish.

Here are some contributions that will reward your attention:

• Writing for The National, Ellie Gommersall gives a persuasive account of the benefits she’s experienced since getting an air-source heat pump installed. She’s clear that not everyone is in the same position she is, but manages to fit more context in a column than most journos have packed into their news articles.
• One item that Ellie mentions is this DeSmog article on the origins and shape of the campaign to discredit heat pumps. DeSmog’s findings won’t surprise you, but the idea that “two thirds of the high-profile negative content published about heat pumps in the 23 months to April 2023” can be traced to one PR agency seems telling.
• If you’re after an effective critical piece, Jimmy Black’s post on the financial impacts of the moves to modernise heating in the social rented sector is a good place to start. The accompanying podcast makes for a solid follow-up, and should at least attest that minds are focused on the challenges involved.
• Speaking of which, if I didn’t already have a prior commitment I’d be looking to attend this upcoming conference arranged by The UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) . The Niddrie Road retrofit has a lot of time, thought and money bound up in it, and CaCHE’s commitment to both long term analysis and broader consideration of what can be learned from the project is commendable.