Climate progress report calls for Plan B on carbon capture

Commenting on the UK Committee on Climate Change’s report on Scotland’s progress against its commitments, Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Director Dr Richard Dixon said:

“COP26 reinforced the need to do all we can to keep global temperature rise below 1.5C. The CCC is correct to say meeting this commitment requires transformation across all sectors of the economy in Scotland, and that this must urgently get underway.

“The legacy of COP26 must be a redoubling of efforts by the Scottish Government to use their existing powers to keep within that crucial limit whilst improving people’s lives through warmer homes, better public transport and creating good green jobs.”

“There is a welcome commitment from the CCC to look at the climate impact of the oil and gas industry but the report fails to state the obvious fact that, at a minimum, opening up new oil and gas fields cannot be compatible with taking climate change seriously.

“A Just Transition away from oil and gas is mentioned but this cannot begin in earnest without a serious timescale for phasing out fossil fuels. The First Minister should build on her opposition to Cambo and commit to ending fossil fuels over the course of the next decade.”

“Scotland missed its last three climate targets but the CCC is not convinced by the current Scottish Government plans and calls for more work to show that we are getting back on track to meet these commitments. We would go further and say that the last climate plan needs to be urgently strengthened.”

“In particular the CCC echo calls from the Scottish Parliament to have a plan B to make up for the fact that carbon capture is not looking likely to deliver emission reductions. With the one potential carbon capture site in Scotland recently failing to attract any UK finance, the Scottish Government needs to give up on this pipe dream and instead concentrate on scaling up renewable energy and improving energy efficiency in our buildings and in industry.”

ENDS