The Scottish government has announced it will abandon its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030. While the final goal of achieving “net-zero” by 2045 will remain, annual climate targets could also be scrapped, according to a BBC Scotland News report.
Ministers have reportedly missed eight of the last 12 annual targets, leading to the conclusion that reaching the 75% milestone by the end of the decade is unattainable. A statement regarding these changes is expected at Holyrood this afternoon.
The decision follows warnings from the independent government advisory Climate Change Committee (CCC) in 2022 that Scotland had “lost its lead over the rest of the UK in tackling the issue.”
Ministers are required by law to produce a “climate change plan” detailing how the targets will be achieved. However, the plan is significantly delayed, and the CCC confirmed in March that the flagship 2030 target was now out of reach.
Scotland's emissions reduction target for 2030 was more ambitious than that of the UK as a whole, which aimed for a reduction of 68% by the same date.
In response to the news, Scottish Greens climate spokesman Mark Ruskell emphasized the party's commitment to accelerating action on the climate crisis, as outlined by the CCC. He stated, “We are absolutely determined to accelerate the urgent and substantial action needed to tackle the climate crisis as laid out by the CCC recently, and fully expect the Scottish government to respond to that challenge.”
