The Scottish government has ditched its flagship target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030 after accepting that it is now “out of reach”.
However, an “unwavering commitment” to achieve net zero by 2045 will remain.
Mairi McAllan, minister for wellbeing economy, net zero and energy, announced the move in an update to Holyrood on Thursday as she set out the government’s next steps on tackling climate change.
The decision comes following a damning report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) last month which said the 2030 target was now “beyond what is credible”.
Ms McAllan said: “In this challenging context of cuts and UK backtracking, we accept the CCCs recent re-articulation that this parliament’s interim 2030 target is out of reach.
“We must now act to chart a course to 2045 at a pace and scale that is feasible, fair and just.”
Scotland has missed eight of the past 12 annual targets for cutting planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
The CCC said in order for Scotland to achieve its goal of cutting harmful emissions by 75% by 2030, the rate of emission reduction in most sectors would need to increase by a factor of nine in the years up to the end of the decade.
The Scottish government was the first in the world to declare a climate emergency.
Ms McAllan set out a new package of climate action measures.
The Scottish government intends to:
• Triple the number of electric vehicle charge points across Scotland – an increase of around 24,000 – by 2030.
• Explore a new national integrated ticketing system for public transport, which would enable passengers to use one system for all elements of a journey.
• Work with businesses to support the transition away from petrol and diesel vans.
Read more:
An uncomfortable truth about climate targets – with people already struggling to pay bills
Friends of the Earth Scotland branded the announcement “the worst environmental decision in the history of the Scottish parliament”.
Imogen Dow, head of campaigns, said: “Instead of using the past decade to deliver warm homes, reliable public transport and a fair transition away from fossil fuels, inept, short-termist politicians have kept millions of people trapped in the broken status quo that only benefits big polluters.”
Ms Dow called for the delayed Climate Change Plan to be published and urged the government to apologise for their “colossal climate failure”.
She added: “Instead of significant response and a ramping up of action, the Scottish government has presented a weak package of re-heated ideas, many of which were already pledged years ago and never delivered.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
