A greener Scottish Budget

Every year, the Scottish Government set out their spending plans for the following year in a process called the budget. As a minority government, they depend on negotiating the support of another party.

This briefing, sent to MSPs, sets out the policies that Friends of the Earth Scotland think should be in the 2020/21 budget to reduce Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, this year’s budget should tackle the dual challenges of climate change and air pollution, unlocking the huge health and social benefits of sustainable transport, by reducing the billions of pounds being spent on major roads.

Instead, this money should be invested in promoting sustainable transport options, like:

• Extending free bus travel
• Supporting councils to run bus services
• Increasing investment in active travel