Harvie slams SNP ministers ‘patting each other on the back’ amid climate ‘reset’ call

Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has hit out at his SNP government partners “patting each other on the back” while climate targets have fallen off track.

Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie speaks to the media ahead of the Scottish Green Party conference, at the Water of Leith visitor centre in Edinburgh. Picture date: Friday April 5, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story POLITICS Greens. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Patrick Harvie has criticised SNP ministers “patting each other on the back” for setting ambitious climate targets while being responsible for a failure in bringing forward enough action.

The Scottish Greens co-leader has been in government for almost three years after the Bute House Agreement was agreed between his party and the SNP. In an outspoken intervention, Mr Harvie has warned Scotland needs to “reset” its strategy to hit climate targets after a damning report from the Scottish Government’s statutory watchdog, the Climate Change Committee, warned its legal 2030 target to cut emissions by 75 per cent is out of reach.

SNP Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan has suggested that “legislative options” are being explored in relation to the 2030 target, amid fears the Scottish Government could be set to water down its ambition on tackling the climate crisis.

Speaking to Scotland on Sunday, Mr Harvie said: “Scotland needs a reset on climate and it has to be a shift from patting ourselves on the back for world-leading targets and let’s have the accelerated action that’s necessary to meet them.”

In another dig at the SNP’s climate action, Mr Harvie stressed that when the targets were agreed “we didn’t have consensus on the actions that were necessary to reduce emissions on transport, to reduce emissions on land use, from industry, for the way we heat our homes”.

He added: “As a result of that, too many of those sectors have seen flatline emissions instead of the cuts that we needed.”

Asked about speculation the Scottish Government could weaken its climate targets through legislation, Mr Harvie said: “The Scottish Government has made it clear they are looking at legislation as an option within that. I’m really clear that we need Greens in the room to shape that agenda.

“If it was just a change to the framework and the targets without an acceleration of action, it’s likely we would continue to miss targets, not just in the years ahead but in the decades ahead that we have to meet that 2045 target. That’s not acceptable."

He added: “We have had too many politicians patting each other on the back for world-leading targets while at the same time calling for more road building, more aviation growth and cheering to the rafters when new oil and gas exploration gets announced.

“If there needs to be any change in any of the climate framework, it has to come with an accelerated agenda of action on climate.”

Humza Yousaf’s administration has come under fire from climate campaigners for softening its stance with the North Sea oil and gas sector in an apparent bid to win votes in the North East at the general election.

In response to the SNP’s apparent cosiness with oil and gas companies, Mr Harvie insisted that “politicians right across the political spectrum need to be fully committed to supporting the transition and doing it fast”.

He added: “Clearly, the Tories are the ones who are advocating for the vested interests of the fossil fuel industry most assertively, but this applies to every political party right across the spectrum. We need a full commitment to that transition.“