Keep Scotland Ambitious | Friends of the Earth Scotland

Keep Scotland Ambitious

The UK Committee on Climate Change (UKCCC) released its report Scotland's path to a low-carbon economy on 24 February. This report advises the Scottish Government on how to meet the ambitious 2020 target in the Scottish Climate Change Act, to reduce emissions of all greenhouse gases by 42%.

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However, the UKCCC offered some weak advice in terms of how to go about meeting the 42% target – which at a time when all countries should be stepping up our efforts to tackle climate change, is unhelpful.

The Scottish Government must now decide whether to take this advice when it sets out its proposal on how to deliver the targets in the Scottish Climate Change Act. So please contact your MSPs and ask them to contact John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, and make your concerns clear.

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What do we want to Scottish Government to do?

It its proposal to the Scottish Parliament, we want the Scottish Government to recommend the following:

1. Emissions reductions should take place in Scotland The report proposes that the 42% target could be met in part by buying carbon credits from overseas, instead of making the cuts in Scotland. However, this undermines the whole point of the legislation to ensure Scotland reduces its own greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, there are concerns about whether carbon credits really do lead to additional emissions reductions in host countries, and about the social and environmental impacts they can have.

2. Emissions reductions should start now The report suggests no real reduction in emissions within the next three years, leaving it up to a possible future government to deliver annual reductions from 2013. However, climate change is an urgent problem and Scotland should show leadership in reducing emissions with immediate effect. The Scottish Government should propose much more ambition targets for 2010 - 2012,

3. The true from aviation should be accounted for Aviation emissions have a higher impact than those at ground level. However, the UKCCC has recommended that this is not accounted for in Scotland’s emissions reductions. Scotland has already shown leadership by including aviation emissions in the targets of the climate change act – but it we should make sure that the full impact is accounted for by multiplying the emissions by 2.

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