The UK’s climate watchdog has stated that Scotland’s promise to reduce their climate emissions by 75% before 2030 is no longer realistic and cannot be achieved.

The UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) submitted a scathing report to the Scottish parliament, accusing the Scottish government of consistently failing to meet its obligations outlined in legal agreements.

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) stated that even though ministers have not met the required annual reductions in emissions for eight of the past 12 years as mandated by law, they still have not developed any effective plans to achieve the target. This is despite failing to release the climate change strategy that was due last year.

The actions and policies have not met the necessary standards. The majority of sectors such as housing, transport, and farming have not reached their interim goals, making it unrealistic to meet the 2030 target without significant acceleration.

In response to the committee’s conclusions, Oxfam warned the Scottish government’s credibility was “now firmly on the line” and Friends of the Earth Scotland accused ministers of “an embarrassing and abject failure”.

The head of the Stop Climate Chaos organization, Mike Robinson, stated that despite acknowledging a climate crisis, the Scottish government has not taken sufficient action and must intensify its efforts.

All parties in the Scottish parliament share responsibility, but the Scottish government is no longer seen as a leader in addressing climate change. We urge the first minister to give an urgent speech to the parliament outlining his plan of action.

The criticisms from the CCC have been increasing in severity over the course of the past few years. The Scottish National Party, which is in a power-sharing partnership with the Scottish Greens, signed a cooperation agreement in 2021 that emphasized a focus on addressing climate change. However, Humza Yousaf, who took over as first minister and SNP leader after Nicola Sturgeon, has placed less importance on climate action, despite its importance in the agreement with the Greens.

Due to potential losses in the upcoming general election, the SNP has expressed support for the oil industry’s stance that implementing higher taxes in order to shift towards clean energy is unwarranted. They have also decreased funding for forestry and diluted plans to reallocate farming subsidies towards promoting nature recovery.

The CCC’s yearly update to Holyrood revealed that:

Scotland will have to reduce its emissions by nine times in the next six years in the areas of housing, transport, farming, and waste in order to meet its 2030 goal.

The rates for its tree-planting, peatland restoration, heat pump installation, recycling, and electric van are far from being on target.

The government had to significantly increase its yearly deductions on transportation in order to meet the 2030 goal.

There is currently no plan in place to reduce carbon emissions in the aviation industry, and the opportunity to increase air departure taxes, which was granted to Scotland in 2016, has not been utilized.

The CCC praised the government for one of its policy areas, stating that its heat in buildings bill was “bold” and could potentially serve as a model for the rest of the UK if it was executed as intended.

In addition to prohibiting the use of gas and oil for heating by 2045, the legislation will also enforce minimum energy efficiency requirements for both privately owned and rented homes. It will also mandate the installation of lower-carbon heating systems when a house is sold.

Màiri McAllan, the Scottish net zero secretary, implied the Scottish government had effectively dropped its 2030 target. She said the CCC had long been clear that hitting that target “will be extremely challenging, and may not be feasible”.

Yet, she stated, “We are dedicated to achieving our goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2045. We are aware that the most difficult stage of this journey lies ahead.”

The officials in Scotland had created suggestions to decrease car usage by 20% by 2030 and to reduce carbon emissions from buildings. However, she held the UK government responsible for the setbacks in Scotland’s plan for addressing climate change.

The ministers in London have failed to uphold their promise of achieving net zero emissions, and have also reversed previously declared policies. Additionally, they have reduced the budget allocated for Scotland, which is necessary for the implementation of new infrastructure projects.

McAllan stated that they will thoroughly review the suggestions in the report and plan their course of action, such as potential changes in legislation, before issuing an official response.

Source: theguardian.com