The Climate Change Committee has said it no longer believes that the Scottish government will meet its statutory 2030 goal to reduce emissions by 75%.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is an independent, statutory body established under the Climate Change Act 2008. It advises the UK and devolved governments on emissions targets and to report to Parliament on progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The CCC said it has lost confidence in the Scottish government’s ability to meet the target because of continued delays to the updated climate change plan and “further slippage” in promised climate policies. However, the CCC said there is a path to achieving the target but “stronger action” is needed to reduce emissions across the economy.
The Committee also said there is no comprehensive strategy for Scotland to decarbonise towards net zero.
Scotland has laudable ambitions to decarbonise, but it isn’t enough to set a target; the government must act.
The Scottish Government delayed its draft Climate Change Plan last year. The CCC said this has left a significant period without “sufficient actions or policies” to reach the target and the required acceleration in emissions reduction in Scotland is now “beyond what is credible”.
The CCC said Scotland missed its annual target for 2021, which is the eighth time in the past 12 years that they have missed a target. The only sectors to reduce emissions in 2021 were electricity supply and industry and most key indicators of delivery progress, such as tree planting, peatland restoration rates and heat pump installations were off track, the Committee said.
Professor Piers Forster, interim Chair of the Climate Change Committee, commented: “Scotland has laudable ambitions to decarbonise, but it isn’t enough to set a target; the government must act. There are risks in all reviewed areas, including those with significant policy powers devolved to the Scottish government.
“Scotland’s Climate Change Plan needs to be published urgently, so we can assess it. We need to see actions that will deliver on its future targets.”
