Emissions Target Missed Again

The Scottish Government has missed its target for cutting carbon emissions for the fourth year in a row.

Greenhouse gas emissions fell by 3.6percent between 2012 and 2013 to 53 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

A law passed by Holyrood requires a minimum 42percent cut in emissions by 2020 and 80percent by 2050.

Annual targets for cutting emission have been in place since 2010 but have been missed every year since, but emissions have reduced by 34.3 since 1990.

Ministers insist the country is "more than three quarters of the way" towards its "world-leading" target.

But the Scottish Greens say the SNP have had since 2009 to live up to "much heralded" aims, but "have failed spectacularly.

'Free ride'

Tom Ballantine, Chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland said the latest figures are "disappointing but show that the target [is] within reach."  

He said: "To ensure Scotland meets all of its targets going forward the Scottish Government needs to announce significant new policies.  Greater action on climate change will let us build a healthier, fairer society and a stronger economy.

"We'll be watching carefully this afternoon to judge the ambition of Ministers' future plans.  In particular the transport sector has had a free ride so far and the Scottish Government must get serious about tackling emissions from cars and planes.  We already have good policies for insulating people's homes but they must go much further if we're to tackle fuel poverty, create jobs and build a better Scotland.

"Although the climate change Minister will present today's statement,  achieving the full benefits for Scotland of tackling climate change requires action in every part of the Scottish Government. This time last year the climate change Minister announced a new Cabinet Sub Committee on Climate Change and it must now rise to the challenge of creating a low carbon Scotland."

"While acknowledging changes to how we measure greenhouse gas emissions has on this occasion made the targets harder to meet, this shouldn't distract from future efforts to develop a low carbon economy, and the Scottish Government is still a long way away from having exhausted all of their policy options."

But Climate Change Minister Aileen McLeod insists Scotland is "well on track" to meet "ambitious" emissions targets.

"We are more than three quarters of the way there with seven years still to go." She said.

“Our emissions have fallen by 38.4 per cent from the 1990 baseline, outperforming the original 31.7 per cent reduction that was required to meet the 2013 annual fixed target.

“Today’s figures show that if it had not been for successive increases to the baseline since the targets were established, Scotland would have met, and exceeded, our target for this year - and the three previous years too.

“Of course, if our targets were easy to achieve they would not be ambitious enough. And these are the level the international community needs to meet if the international climate treaty to be agreed in Paris later this year is to stand a good chance of limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius.

“As negotiations continue this week to agree the text of that treaty, the Scottish Government stands firm in our commitment to tackling climate change.

“I look forward to updating Parliament this afternoon on the comprehensive action being taken by the Scottish Government to meet our world-leading climate change targets.

'Voices growing hoarse'

Scottish Green Party co-convener Patrick Harvie MSP said:

"The Scottish Government has had since 2009 to put in place policies to live up to our much-heralded climate change targets, and they have failed spectacularly. Since the Act was passed we have put nearly ten million tonnes more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the targets allow - demonstrating a staggering lack of ambition by this government.

"Scotland has a clear opportunity to be a greener and fairer country, and there is a wide range of voices growing hoarse calling for a speedier transition to the low-carbon economy we know we can enjoy. We will look into the detail but meantime the minister must explain why these figures have been given the media well before her expected statement in parliament at 4.30 today."