Action needed to hit Scotland’s emissions targets

Scotland must catch up on its emissions targets if it is to 
retain global respect for climate change action, a Labour MSP has warned.

The country missed its first legally binding target earlier this year, with the extreme winter weather of 2009 and 2010 said to have contributed to the 
failure.

Labour’s Claudia Beamish told MSPs that all levels of government must now make changes and shifts in spending to meet future climate change goals.

“The Scottish Government did indeed miss the first annual emissions targets and these must be put into the second Report on Proposals and Policies if we are to have any chance of 
playing catch-up and retaining our position in world respect. This has been highlighted by many in NGOs,” she said.

Conservative MSP Alex 
Johnstone said he hopes the milder winter of 2011 will put the targets back on track, 
acknowledging that the 
figures set out to be achieved
 before 2050 are “very demanding indeed”.

He called on the Scottish 
Government to look again at 
replacing nuclear power 
stations.

The MSPs were speaking as Environment Minister Paul Wheelhouse updated Holyrood on the recent international 
climate change negotiations in Doha.

“We can all be proud of progress we are making on 
tackling climate change in 
Scotland but I accept we can and must do more,” Mr Wheelhouse said.