After failing to achieve emission goals, Scotland sets new climate change targets
After failing to achieve previous goals set for controlling the
carbon emission
in Scotland, the government is set to bring in new targets to tackle
climate change
in the country. The new plan unveiled by the government spans over the next 20 years and aims to reduce emission by an average of 69% by 2035 in comparison to 1990 levels.
The latest targets come after the country's ministers abandoned the annual targets in 2024 as they were consistently missed. They, however, had retained the pledge to reach
net zero by 2045
back in 2019. The new target states emissions need to fall by an average of 57% over the next five years.
Cabinet secretary for climate action and energy Gillian Martin said that Scotland is now halfway to the 2045 climate change target and is ahead of the UK as a whole in reducing long term emissions. He also stated that the new climate change plan will not ask the impossible of people and will not sacrifice people's health or wealth.
The Scottish government, in 2019, had set its original goals for climate change aiming to reduce emissions by 75% by 2030. Then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had called the targets as "amongst the most ambitious anywhere in the world" in 2021 ahead of the UN's COP26 climate talks in Glasgow. The targets were discarded in 2024 after the government's independent advisers, the CCC, issued a warning and dubbed them no longer achievable.
Now, the Scottish government wants to move to a system of measuring emissions using carbon budgets over five-year periods instead of annual targets.
Live Events
The Scottish government wants to move to a system of measuring emissions using carbon budgets over five-year periods instead of annual targets. The average level of emissions for Scotland over each five-year period are: 57% lower than 1990 levels for 2026 - 2030, 69% lower than 1990 levels for 2031- 2035, 80% lower than 1990 levels for 2036 - 2040 and 94% lower than 1990 levels for 2041 - 2045, according to the Scottish government.
Currently, the country has achieved a 51.3% emissions reduction since the baseline year of 1990. The newly devised targets will be achieved using a carbon budgeting system and the proposals will be voted on by MSPs in the autumn, according to BBC.
Will not sacrifice people's health or wealth: Gillian Martin
Gillian Martin, cabinet secretary for climate action and energy, said that the new climate change plan will not ask the impossible of people and will not sacrifice people's health or wealth.
"Scotland is now halfway to our 2045 climate change target and is ahead of the UK as a whole in reducing long term emissions. These carbon budgets will set clear limits on emissions for the coming decades in line with the independent advice of the UK Climate Change Committee,' Martin said.
"When we publish our draft climate change plan later this year, it will set out the policies needed to continue to reduce our emissions and meet our first three carbon budget targets. It will not ask the impossible of people. We will not sacrifice people's health or wealth," he added.
Proposals to undergo scrutiny
The proposals are set to undergo scrutiny by Parliament before being voted on in the autumn. After the Carbon Budgets will be agreed, the Scottish Government will publish and consult on a new draft Climate Change Plan highlighting the specific actions needed to reduce emissions so as to meet each of the first three carbon budget targets, as well as setting out the associated costs and benefits.
Ministers have stated that the five year system of measuring emissions will make measuring progress less prone to annual variations such as extreme weather or a global pandemic., BBC reported. The approach is used in other parts of the world including France, England and Wales. If the targets are agreed then the Scottish government will publish a new plan on how it plans to achieve them.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
21 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Israel Has Also Spread Chaos": Video Of US Envoy's Freudian Slip Goes Viral
US Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Camille Shea on Friday blamed Israel for spreading chaos and terror before realising it was a Freudian slip. Ms Shea then corrected herself, replacing "Israel" with "Iran". During her speech at a UN Security Council meeting, Ms Shea said, "Israel's government has also spread chaos, terror, and suffering throughout the region." Next, she paused awkwardly for a second, realised her mistake, and corrected, "Iran's government has also spread chaos, terror, and suffering throughout the region." During today's remarks at the UN, US Ambassador Camille Shea made a Freudian slip, stating that Israel spreads 'chaos, terror, and suffering' in the region; before quickly attempting to redirect the blame toward Iran. — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 20, 2025 Ms Shea further said the G7, earlier this week, said Iran was the principal source of instability and terror in the Middle East. She added, "While the United States was not involved in Israel's strikes, let there be no doubt that the United States continues to stand with Israel and supports its actions against Iran's nuclear ambitions." The video quickly went viral, leading to a flurry of comments and mockery on social media. Journalist Margarita Simonyan posted the clip with the caption, "It's always foreign policy that brings out Freudian slips in American officials. Curious." US representative to the UN Dorothy Shea: "Israel's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region..." Awkward pause. "Iran's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region..." It's always foreign policy that brings… — Margarita Simonyan (@M_Simonyan) June 20, 2025 Economist Adam Ismail also shared the video, stating, "Whoops! This must be the mother of all Freudian slips. The US representative of the UN Security Council calls Israel a terrorist state." Whoops! This must be the mother of all Freudian slips. The US representative of the UN Security Council calls Israel a terrorist state: "Israel's government has also spread chaos, terror, and suffering throughout the region" — Adam Ismail (@aadanweli) June 20, 2025 One person commented, "Oops. The mask slipped. Even the US couldn't hide it this time that Israel has spread chaos, terror, and suffering." Oops. The mask slipped. ???? Even the U.S. couldn't hide it this time: 'Israel has spread chaos, terror, and suffering.' — Mansoor Ahmed Qureshi (@MansurQr) June 20, 2025 This is not the first time that a US official has made an accidental remark against Israel. Earlier, in 2024, former US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller faced harsh criticism after he said that Israel had the right to target civilians, instead of Hamas fighters. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Middle East Monitor (@middleeastmonitor) On Saturday, Israel and Iran continued their aerial assault on each other, with Tehran saying it wouldn't negotiate its nuclear programme while faced with threats. This came after US President Donald Trump said he may support a ceasefire between the two regional arch-foes "depending on the circumstances".
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
US envoy slips up at UNSC, blames Israel for ‘chaos, terror' in Middle East
Amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran, a US envoy at a UN Security Council meeting on Friday fumbled and accidentally blamed Jerusalem for causing "chaos, terror and suffering" in the Middle East before correcting herself. US UN envoy Dorothy Shea affirmed support to Israel and said America stands with "Israel and supports its actions against Iran's nuclear ambitions".(AP) The US Chargé d'Affaires ad interim to the UN, Dorothy Shea, was delivering a speech at the UNSC, condemning Iran's actions against Israel. Follow Iran Israel war live updates "Israel's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region," Shea reads out. She then takes an awkward pause, shakes her head as she quickly corrects herself and repeats the sentence, "Iran's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region." She continues with her speech, 'Let us not forget that the Iranian government was an enabling and ideological material force behind Hamas's deadly assault on Israel.' This slip-up by the top US diplomat on a platform as big as the United Nations Security Council went viral on social media. 'Let there be no doubt…': US affirms support to Israel In her speech, Shea also emphasised that it is not too late for the Iranian government "to do the right thing". She reiterated US President Donald Trump's statements and said that Iran "must completely abandon its nuclear enrichment program and all aspirations of acquiring a nuclear weapon". Dorothy Shea stated that Israel has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction as well as for "death to America". Further condemning Iran, she said that, as the Group of Seven (G7) leaders stated earlier this week, Tehran is the principal source of instability and terror in the Middle East region. While she reaffirmed that the US was not involved in the Israeli strikes against Iran, the American diplomat clarified, "Let there be no doubt that the United States continues to stand with Israel and supports its actions against Iran's nuclear ambitions." ALSO READ | Donald Trump hints at Israel-Iran ceasefire, warns Iran has 'maximum' two weeks The US diplomat stated that Iran's leadership could have avoided the ongoing conflict had they agreed to a deal that would have kept them from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon. By refusing to accept the deal, Shea said, Iran has all it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon, adding that the only remaining thing it needs is a decision from its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The US diplomat pressed that the UNSC must urge Iran to change course, that the Tehran government has nothing to gain by escalating its rhetoric in this conflict. Meanwhile, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday said that it would be "very, very dangerous for everyone" if the United States becomes actively involved in the war with Israel. Trump's deadline to Iran Earlier in the day, Trump also doubted the possibilities of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, saying that it would be "very hard to stop" Israeli strikes on Iran in order to negotiate a truce. "Israel's doing well in terms of war. And, I think, you would say that Iran is doing less well. It's a little bit hard to get somebody to stop," the US President said. Trump's statement came after the White House said that the US President saw a "substantial chance of negotiations" amid the conflict, as it said Washington was seeking additional time to decide if its military needs to step in. Donald Trump also warned Iran against US military action and said that "I'm giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum."
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Israel-Iran war: At UN, US envoy Dorothy Shea accidentally blames Israel for 'chaos, terror'; corrects it to Iran
A senior American diplomat sparked confusion and controversy at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday after mistakenly blaming Israel for "chaos, terror and suffering" in the Middle East before quickly correcting herself. Dorothy Shea, the US Chargé d'Affaires ad interim to the UN, made the apparent slip-up during a speech condemning Iran's regional actions. 'Israel's government has...' "Israel's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region," Shea said, before pausing mid-sentence and correcting herself. "Iran's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region," she then clarified, continuing her remarks. The moment, which was caught on video, has since gone viral, with many on social media speculating whether the slip was a genuine mistake or a revealing moment of diplomatic confusion. Reaffirming support for Israel Despite the awkward pause, Shea reiterated Washington's firm backing for Israel. "While the United States was not involved in Israel's strikes, let there be no doubt that the United States continues to stand with Israel and supports its actions against Iran's nuclear ambitions," she said. She claimed Iran now possesses the capabilities necessary to build a nuclear weapon, describing the situation as "unacceptable." "This Council must urge them to change course," she urged. "The Iranian government must abandon its nuclear ambitions so that there is no more destruction." Ongoing Israel-Iran hostilities The speech came as tensions between Israel and Iran remain high. Since June 13, Israel has conducted targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear and military assets, prompting retaliatory missile attacks from Tehran. Shea cited a G7 leaders' statement from earlier this week, reinforcing the US stance that "Iran is the principal source of instability and terror in the Middle East."
