Scotland must do better to hit climate change targets, warns government advisers. Scotland missed its annual emissions target in 2018 – and the 2020 target is only likely to be met because lockdown restrictions have constrained them temporarily, government advisers have warned. Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 31% in the decade 2008 to 2018, faster than any other nation of the UK and any G20 nation over the same period, according to the study. This was led by action in the power sector, where Scottish renewable generation has tripled and fossil-fuelled generation has fallen by more than 70% in the last decade – including the closure of Scotland’s last coal-fired power plant in 2016. But the new Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) 2020 Progress Report says success over the next decade is “not a given”. Over the same decade, emissions in the other sectors of the Scottish economy fell by just 14%. And it has called on ministers to updated its planning and set out a “new era of climate change action in Scotland” which puts the nation firmly on course to become a Net Zero economy by 2045. Sustained action over the long-term “is now imperative” to meet Scotland’s demanding targets, the committee said. It also wants the Scottish Government to set out a vision for the future of low-carbon heating in Scotland’s homes and other buildings, integrated with UK Government decisions on the future of the UK gas grid and energy taxation. It wants ministers to devise more ways to make it easy for people to walk, cycle, use public transport, and work from home in Scotland, and ensure electric vehicle charging infrastructure and are in place to eliminate the need to buy a petrol or diesel car in Scotland by 2032 at the latest. Responding to the report, environment and climate change secretary, Roseanna Cunningham, accepted that the nation had to step things up to meet emission targets.
Herald 7th Oct 2020 read more »
Herald 7th Oct 2020 read more »
Scotland must become the first UK nation to set out a net-zero-compatible plan, the CCC says today. Despite the ongoing uncertainty around COVID-19, the Scottish Government is in a unique position to detail how it plans to deliver a green recovery when it publishes its updated Climate Change Plan in December. Doing so would put it ahead of the rest of the UK, as Scotland seeks to become the UK’s first Net Zero economy by 2045. That’s the finding of the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) 2020 Progress Report to the Scottish Parliament. The report shows that Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 31% in the decade 2008 to 2018, faster than any other nation of the UK and any G20 nation over the same period. This was led by action in the power sector, where Scottish renewable generation has tripled and fossil-fuelled generation has fallen by more than 70% in the last decade. But success in the next decade is not a given. Over the same decade, emissions in the other sectors of the Scottish economy fell by just 14%. Scotland missed its annual emissions target in 2018 – and the 2020 target is only likely to be met because lockdown restrictions have constrained emissions temporarily. Sustained action over the long-term is now imperative to meet Scotland’s demanding targets. The Committee will provide further guidance on the appropriate pathway for Scottish emissions over the period to 2045 as part of its advice to Government on the Sixth UK Carbon Budget, due to be published on 9 December 2020.
Committee on Climate Change 7th Oct 2020 read more »
The growth of low carbon electricity generation resulted in a drop in Scottish greenhouse gas emissions by almost a third in the decade to 2018, a new report revealed today. The fall was faster than in other nations in the UK and among any of the G20 group of industrial nations over the same period. Scottish fossil fuel electricity fell by more than 70%, while renewable generation tripled, between 2008-2018. The findings are in the annual progress report to the Scottish parliament from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). The report said the Scottish government must now become the first UK nation to set out how it plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
Drill or Drop 7th Oct 2020 read more »