The Scottish Government has published a Climate Change Bill which sets mandatory targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland by 80% by 2050. Following a significant campaign from Friends of the Earth and other environmental groups it has also proposed annual targets. We welcome this as an opportunity for Scotland to lead the way in climate legislation. The Big Ask Scotland is Friends of the Earth Scotland’s campaign for an effective Climate Change Bill. We are calling for a Bill which – to complement both annual targets and the 80% reduction target – places a scientifically based limit on the cumulative total of all emissions between now and 2050, to enable Scotland to play a fair role in ensuring that the climate does not warm by more than 2ºC. This briefing sets out why such a limit is crucial to the effectiveness and credibility of the Scottish Climate Change Bill.

A limit on total emissions between now and 2050: a Big Ask Scotland policy briefing