Scottish Government misses yet another climate target

Environmental campaigners have reacted to the news that the Scottish Government has missed another climate target, bringing the total to nine of the last 13 year’s annual targets that have now been missed, and warned that the Scottish Government “must get a grip on the situation”.

The Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions Statistics for 2022 were published today, which showed that the 2022 target was missed. Emissions were down just 0.1% from the year before and in some areas climate emissions actually increased in 2022, including from transport, electricity and waste.

The Scottish Government is moving forward with a proposal to scrap the 2030 climate target and has recently been accused of rolling back on its position on phasing out oil and gas.

Caroline Rance, Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Climate and Energy Campaigner said:

“The Scottish Government has now missed nine of the last 13 year’s climate targets. Rather than taking the action needed to achieve them, they are now trying to ditch the 2030 target altogether.

“These climate targets were based on science, and they all should and could have been met. It’s high time the Scottish Government got a grip of this dire situation. They must commit to a fair and fast phase out of fossil fuels, beginning with rejecting SSE and Equinor’s application for a new gas-burning power station at Peterhead, and ramp up a renewable energy system that creates jobs, lowers bills and reduces climate pollution.”