'Unambitious' climate plan under attack

Published on Thursday 18 June 2009 10:34

A LEADING sustainable transport group has accused the Scottish Government of presiding over a "huge mismatch" between its spending priorities and its commitments to tackle climate change.

Transform Scotland said the 2 billion earmarked for the new Forth Road Bridge represented 100 years of spending on forms of active travel, such as cycling.

Responding to the launch of the government's Climate Change Delivery Plan, the organisation's director, Colin Howden, said plans for transport were "unambitious".

He said: "Transport is the basket case of climate change policy. It is the second largest sector for emissions after heat, and it is the sector where things are still going in the wrong direction.

"There remains a huge mismatch between the government's stated aspirations towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and its own spending priorities. If the government truly wants to deliver on its climate change targets then it needs to give top priority to low-cost and swiftly-deliverable investments in active travel."