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The National
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Warning for Scotland as report finds time running out to limit climate change
On Thursday, top scientists warned that the Earth could breach the 1.5C global warming limit in as little as three years. It comes as the Scottish Government published its carbon budgets plan, a replacement for net-zero targets that were not reached. Campaigners described the move as a 'weakening' of climate policy. With the new climate change plan draft due later this year and only one full parliamentary term left before the Holyrood 2026 elections, campaigners have criticised the Scottish Government's 'slowing' approach to tackling climate issues. READ MORE: SNP councillor forces Labour to take action against Israeli arms sales Rising temperatures in Scotland could have a devastating impact on communities, with increasing risks of flooding, rising sea levels and coastal erosion, or dry hot weather causing sweeping wildfires and water scarcity. Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, said: 'We're going to be having the new Climate Change Plan published in draft form in autumn that will cover from 2026 through to 2040. 'The near term of that is going to be absolutely critical, which means, you know, the next Scottish Parliament will make or break Scotland's ambitions to achieve net zero by 2045. 'But we will stand no chance of delivering that unless the Climate Change plan is backed up by meaningful investment.' Livingstone (below) added that the 'richest and biggest polluters are driving the climate crisis' and should have to pay up. 'If we don't invest now, then it will cost us much more down the line to respond to that,' he said. He added: 'What people don't want in Scotland is any more hollow climate promises. We've kind of been there, we've done that, that undermines public confidence. 'Actually what we need to see is near term action, properly financed and delivered in a way that is genuinely fair. That's what people in Scotland want to see going into the Scottish elections and throughout the next parliament.' Meanwhile, Rosie Hampton, oil and gas campaigns manager at Friends of the Earth (FoE) Scotland, also argued that companies who have 'contributed vastly' to the climate crisis should be made to pay. She said: 'I think if people felt like there was a clearer sense of who's coughing up and who's actually going to save money, I think people would feel a lot more confident that measures to address the climate crisis actually can save them money and improve people's lives. READ MORE: Scottish Labour drop below Alba and Greens in Highlands by-election 'There's that kind of absence of Scottish Government and political will to say - this is who's paying for it, because this is how you've contributed. People fill in the gaps and they think, well, I'm going to have to have to pay for it. 'That's not a just transition, it's not fair, because why should ordinary people be forced to bear the brunt of it? 'It's a legitimate concern. It should be big industry, who have profited off oil and gas and things like that for a long time when communities haven't seen the benefit.' 'We need to see a serious level of ambition and a recognition of just how much needs to change,' Hampton added. Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie told The National he had concerns that the Scottish Government's 'policy response is getting weaker' while the 'pace of warming is getting more alarming'. 'It's not just about the SNP, it's about our whole political landscape,' Harvie said. He said that when the party started talks with former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, that would later lead to the Bute House Agreement, Scotland was already missing its climate targets and needed to 'accelerate'. 'That means we need to do some of the politically difficult stuff, the easy stuff's all been done,' Harvie added. (Image: PA) 'If we're not going to be politically able to do the more challenging things, that means changing the way we move about, that means changing the way we heat our homes. It means changing agriculture as well and giving rural communities a viable way forward that isn't high carbon. If we're not willing to do those things, then we fail.' The MSP added that he was 'disturbed' by the Scottish Government refusing to accept certain recommendations from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) in its carbon budget plan. The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.
STV News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- STV News
Holyrood urged to move faster as Scotland misses emissions target
The Scottish Government has been urged to move faster on its climate goals as the country has missed its emissions targets for 2023. According to the latest Greenhouse Gas Statistics report, Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions fell by nearly 2% in 2023, but it wasn't enough to meet SNP targets. The country's emissions have fallen 51.3% from 1990 levels. However, the Scottish Government previously had a target of a 56.4% reduction from 1990 levels by 2023. This goal has now been missed by five percentage points. Climate campaigners have insisted that the pace of change is too slow to meet key environmental targets. Claire Daly, head of policy and advocacy at WWF Scotland, said: 'These reductions are simply not enough. 'The pace of change is too slow to meet our climate ambitions. Again, emissions from transport, buildings and agriculture remain largely unchanged and far too high. 'Every year of inaction makes the path to a safer, fairer future even harder to reach.' The report showed a 'very large reduction' in emissions from the electricity generation sector, with reductions also seen across fuel supply, buildings, transport, industry, and waste. Emissions from the agriculture sector were 'essentially unchanged' between 2022 and 2023. However, the data showed a sharp rise of 18.6% in international aviation and shipping emissions, as flights and shipping rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. It means the sector's emissions have risen by a third (33%) since 1990. With emissions from aviation and shipping rising, Oxfam Scotland called for a 'fair tax' to be levied against the 'super polluting private jets choking Scotland's skies'. Jamie Livingstone, head of the charity in Scotland, said: 'Falling emissions are welcome, but in a race against time, we're simply not moving fast enough due to a lack of investment in major polluting sectors'. Despite the 2% emissions reduction, Scottish Conservatives have slammed the SNP for missing its own targets. 'The SNP are full of hot air when it comes to climate change,' Scottish Conservative shadow energy and net zero secretary Douglas Lumsden MSP said. 'Nationalist ministers love to boast that they are world-leading on this issue, but they can't even meet their own emissions targets and their sheer incompetence forced them to dump them all altogether. 'We all want to address climate change, but the truth is net zero is just another empty slogan for the SNP.' However, acting net-zero secretary Gillian Martin said the figures confirm that Scotland 'yet again leads the rest of the UK in cutting emissions', led by significant decreases from electricity generation and industry. Martin also emphasised the 'positive actions' the Scottish Government has already taken towards reaching the target of net zero by 2045 – including extending free bus travel and 'record levels' of tree planting and peatland restoration. 'We are not complacent and recognise that our transition to a net-zero, climate-ready Scotland will require genuine transformation across our economy and society from transport and heat in buildings to land use,' she said. 'That's why the Scottish Government has committed introducing a Heat in Buildings Bill this year, which will set a target for decarbonising heat by 2045; why we will abolish Scotrail peak rail fares in September; and why we have increased funding for low carbon and climate positive activities to £54.4 million, supporting a switch to zero emission vehicles and the decarbonisation of our buses.' Martin also stressed the importance of action from Westminster, saying: 'It is also vital that the UK Government, which holds key policy and funding levers to deliver Scotland's net-zero future, acts on these at pace to deliver our climate targets and those for whole of the UK.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Last chance for SNP to deliver on key policies beckons
But recent announcements don't inspire confidence. Legislation to speed up the switch to clean heat in our homes has been watered down. The target to reduce kilometres travelled by car by 20%? Ditched. And, despite some welcome progress, the interim child poverty target was also missed. Instead of delivering at scale and speed, ministers are dithering. Meanwhile, parents are skipping meals so their kids can eat. Carers are working without enough rest and recognition. Homes remain draughty and cold. Public services are stretched beyond breaking point. And Scotland's excess emissions are fuelling the climate crisis. It doesn't have to be this way. This needn't be Scotland's story. Oxfam Scotland has laid out a series of practical steps to accelerate progress towards a fairer, greener and kinder Scotland. Not in five years. From now. Let's start with carers, both paid and unpaid. This invisible network holds our communities together, yet carers are often treated like an afterthought and pushed into poverty. That needs to stop. Pay social care and childcare workers what they're worth. Recognise and support unpaid carers as the vital lifeline they are. And don't just talk about valuing care – make it count by immediately implementing the proposed National Outcome on Care, which the Scottish Government drafted, but quietly shelved. For children in poverty, demonstrate genuine urgency by increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per child per week while protecting families in Scotland punished by the UK Government's cruel two-child limit. To lower living costs and emissions, expand concessionary travel to everyone under 25, unpaid carers and people on the lowest incomes. A free or affordable bus pass isn't a luxury, it's a passport to opportunity, education, employment and better mental health. It's also time to close the gap between Scotland's rhetoric on climate action and its stagnating record. Targets to reduce emissions have been axed as a consequence of inadequate action, leaving the future price tag to grow ever larger. Meanwhile, the wealthiest are still hopping on pollution-spewing private jets at Scottish airports. The First Minister says he backs taxing them fairly – but so far, it's all talk, no take-off. Action to deliver a fairer tax system that works for all of us, not just the privileged few, can't stop there. Yet more consultation alone won't cut it. We need concrete proposals to replace the council tax with a fairer tax on property wealth, and broader proposals to use local taxes to raise more money, combat yawning inequality and to reward businesses that do right by people and planet. The next year is a chance for the Scottish Government to prove it's willing to deliver perceptible progress. But the clock's ticking. And the people of Scotland are watching. Jamie Livingstone is head of Oxfam Scotland Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@
