Latest news with #GillianMartin
Scotsman
a day ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
SNP vow to 'not ask the impossible' of Scots as watered down climate targets revealed
SNP ministers will publish its new climate change plan by the end of 2025 - two years later than promised. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... SNP ministers have vowed to 'not ask the impossible' of Scots or 'sacrifice people's health or wealth' after charting a new path to net zero with weakened targets. The Scottish Government was forced to admit that the previously-agreed legal target to cut 1990 levels of pollution by 75 per cent by 2030 was no longer achievable, but has kept its 2045 net zero ambition intact. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scottish Government has charted a new path to cutting carbon emissions | Johnston Press Statistics released last week revealed that Scotland has cut harmful carbon emissions by 51.3 per cent since 1990. The Scottish Government has argued that the old targets and the new ambitions cannot be compared as the new metrics are five-year averages. The 2030 target, previously 75 per cent, has been lowered to 57 per cent as an average aim from 2026 and 2030. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The draft targets, still to be approved by MSPs, states that emissions will be cut by 69 per cent by 2035 as a five-year average measure between 2030 and 2035, 80 per cent by 2040 and 94 per cent in the five years up to and including 2045 when net zero will be achieved. The initial targets, set by MSPs in 2019, stated that pollution should be cut by 100 per cent by 2045. Despite the 94 per cent target, the net zero definition is not being changed and a 100 per cent reduction will still be required. READ MORE: Scots could face more drastic transport and heating rules amid 2045 net zero fears Once approved by MSPs, the Scottish Government will publish a new draft climate change plan by the end of the year - coming two years later than promised. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Climate Action and Energy Secretary, Gillian Martin, said: '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. '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. Climate Action and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin | Andrew Milligan/PA Wire 'It will not ask the impossible of people. We will not sacrifice people's health or wealth.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But the Scottish Government has been criticised for ignoring the CCC advice over livestock and peatland. Scottish Greens co-leader, Patrick Harvie, labelled the "deeply troubling' move as 'yet another step away from evidence-based climate policy'. Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie | Andrew Milligan/Press Association He added: 'The UKCCC is clear - we can reach Scotland's 2045 target. But that will only happen if we are brave enough to have less words and more action to get the job done.' Claire Daly, head of policy and advocacy at WWF Scotland, warned that 'these commitments will remain merely lines on a page without strong action to back them up', pointing to 'measures to support clean heating in our homes and the transition to more climate- and nature-friendly agriculture'. Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland, said: 'Cutting emissions won't come on the cheap. Scotland needs real investment in warmer homes, more affordable public transport and cleaner energy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Scottish ministers seem to recognise that spending more now will save far more down the line but they're holding back from making the bold funding choices needed.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
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.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
New climate change targets for Scotland unveiled
A new set of targets to tackle climate change in Scotland over the next 20 years has been unveiled by the Scottish government. Annual targets were abandoned by Scottish ministers last year after they were repeatedly missed but the pledge to reach net zero by 2045 was new target states emissions need to fall by an average of 57% over the next five years and by 69% by 2035, when compared with 1990 targets will be met using a carbon budgeting system and the proposals will be voted on by MSPs in the autumn. The Scottish government want to move to a system of measuring emissions using carbon budgets over five-year periods instead of annual say this will make measuring progress less prone to annual variations such as extreme weather or a global approach is used in other parts of the world including France, England and the targets are agreed then the Scottish government will publish a new plan on how it plans to achieve them. The most recent data, for 2022, shows that planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland fell by 50% against the 1990 baseline year. Gillian Martin, cabinet secretary for climate action and energy, said: "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."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."Addressing farmers at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said the Scottish government will not be following independent advice to cut livestock numbers to reduce planet warming gases. Are climate change targets being missed? The Scottish government had set its original climate change targets in 2019 – which included reducing emissions by 75% by years later, ahead of the UN's COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the targets as "amongst the most ambitious anywhere in the world".But they were ditched in 2024 after the government's independent advisers, the CCC, warned that they were no longer Daly, head of policy and advocacy at WWF Scotland, welcomed the carbon budget approach but warned they would need to be backed up by action."These commitments will remain merely lines on a page without strong action to back them up, including measures to support clean heating in our homes and the transition to more climate - and nature - friendly agriculture," she said."Future generations cannot afford any more missed climate targets and this carbon budget must be set for success with strong policies to reduce emissions."
The National
3 days ago
- Business
- The National
Have your say on plans to expand offshore wind capacity in Scotland
Proposals from the Scottish Government would see the country's offshore wind capacity increase to up to 40 gigawatts (GW) by 2040 – enough to power the equivalent of around 45 million homes a year. Scotland's current offshore wind capacity ambition is between 8 and 11 GW by 2030 and the Scottish Government says the new figure seeks to reaffirm its commitment to growing the sector. Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy Gillian Martin announced the opening of the consultation at the Global Offshore Wind Forum in London on Wednesday. READ MORE: Scotland can 'go beyond mitigating Westminster' with minimum income guarantee Martin said: 'Scotland's offshore wind sector is already creating significant opportunities, delivering jobs and attracting major investment across the country. 'As a result we need to update our ambition for offshore wind to reflect and firmly underline our commitment to economic growth and investment offered by the sector. 'I would urge everyone with an interest in offshore wind to have a say in the consultation.' As well as supporting national climate targets, the increase being consulted upon reflects significant private sector interest in the ScotWind and the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) seabed leasing rounds, the Government said. Ministers said the success of these leasing rounds symbolises "the enormous economic potential of offshore wind" and puts Scotland "at the forefront of development globally". The consultation document says: "We want to see the maximum possible deployment of the Scottish offshore wind project pipeline, whilst balancing the impact on the marine environment and other marine users. READ MORE: LIVE: Fans gather for Kneecap member Mo Chara's court appearance "Now is the right time to highlight key achievements and developments since 2020, and to set out an updated ambition for Scotland alongside our plans to ensure that the benefits of offshore wind will be felt for generations to come." The consultation will run until August 13. To share your views, click here.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Scotland's rubbish is England's only reward
What does the rest of the UK get in return for the 'Union dividend' – currently totalling £52 billion – the sum that Scotland receives from the UK taxpayers to help persuade it to remain part of Britain? Around 100 truckloads of rubbish to be dumped at various landfill sites throughout the North of England seems a likely answer. Despite the extra cash received by the SNP government being arguably a fair old 'bung' – the product of the four decades-old Barnett formula – the payback is shaping up to be many thousands of black bags, including commercial waste, to be sent to the likes of Cumbria and Northumberland because of SNP incompetence or arrogance. They're to be heading south because the Scottish Government does not want its green and pleasant acres spoiled by any more rubbish being buried at landfill sites north of the border after December 31. We are not talking here about just the odd black bag. One waste expert told BBC Scotland that it would require between 80 and 100 trucks running seven days per week to move up to 600,000 tons to English landfills. The only real alternative to landfill is incineration, but SNP ministers have halted the building of any more incinerators because they can't afford them, even if they're receiving what's been described as a record £52 billion 'war chest' for use in the Scottish Parliament election campaign next May. I suspect the public will find that a hard one to swallow. Energy minister Gillian Martin blamed inflation and higher material costs for the hold-up in building new incinerators, but she also cited 'outside factors' for the delay – usual SNP code to signal that the government in London is to blame. And Ms Martin didn't apologise for the fact that the lack of incinerators might last another three years, saying that getting rid of landfill sites in Scotland 'far outweighs' any downsides that might arise from sending the rubbish over the border. But as any fair-minded person might ask: who will pick up the bills? In financial terms it is Scottish business leaders who will have to pay for the trucking of their commercial waste to landfill sites in England. And in environmental terms, I can't imagine that the northern English will be overjoyed at receiving all of this Scottish muck. The whole project is an example of nationalist insensitivity at best or arrogance at worst. Many Scots are too ready to see insults – real or imagined – in the words and actions of the English yet refuse to take care when it comes to their southern neighbours' feelings. Speaking as a Scot I was pleased to see criticism of this stupid affair emanating from most parts of the political spectrum. The Lib Dems' Liam McArthur, who is the party's climate spokesman, accused the SNP of planning to make England 'their dumping ground for waste'. The Tories' Douglas Lumsden said there should be 'red faces all round among SNP ministers at this news'. I doubt if he'll get his wish, because of that other piece of embarrassing news – regarding the Scottish headteacher who banned pupils from bringing Union flags to school as they were deemed to be potentially offensive or sectarian. The flags had been brought to school for a special end of term event and the head's action in effectively banning the United Kingdom's flag provoked a storm of criticism, after she had told pupils that their action had been 'contrary to the school's values of respect and kindness.' The local council, East Renfrewshire, has issued an apology, but that hasn't prevented Jackson Carlaw, a local MSP and former Scottish Tory leader, from saying that to equate the Union flag with sectarianism was 'totally unacceptable and deeply offensive'. There has been no response from the SNP on this issue but then anyone who knows anything about the party will know that a large proportion of its members and supporters hate the Union flag; indeed many call it 'the butcher's apron'. Following his humiliating loss to Labour in the recent by-election, First Minister John Swinney has sought to keep his troops happy with yet another speech promising that he'd fight for independence. However when it comes to flags, as well as black bags, it seems his party is determined to get nothing right.
