COP26: Labour demands new climate action amid attack on SNP environmental record

Anas Sarwar has said the SNP preaching to developing countries and large polluters about the environment is “rank hypocrisy” due to the SNP’s own failings, labelling it a track record of failure.

His comments come as Scottish Labour call for a new Climate Recovery Plan, claiming that years of missed targets and policy failure from the SNP meant a new plan was required.

Mr Sarwar’s intervention comes on the day as many as 100,000 climate activists are expected to descend on Glasgow to protest the lack of action on the climate emergency as COP26 continues at the SEC in the city.

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Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has attacked years of environmental failure by the SNPScottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has attacked years of environmental failure by the SNP
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has attacked years of environmental failure by the SNP
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The party also released a report highlighting the “SNP’s environmental failures”, including the government’s missed targets on reducing annual emissions, which have been missed in the past three years.

Other missed targets include the amount of non-electrical heat demand being provided by renewable sources, which the government confirmed it had missed last week.

Nicola Sturgeon, who has been attending the global climate change summit throughout the week, has claimed the targets are deliberately tough to meet in order to force quicker action.

The First Minister has also claimed Scotland is a “world leader” on the response to climate change.

However, Mr Sarwar said the SNP record “speaks for itself” and that “too often the reality falls short”.

He said: “Here in Scotland we strive to be world-leaders on the environment, but too often the reality falls short. Nicola Sturgeon will say whatever people want to hear, but the SNP’s record speaks for itself.

“It is rank hypocrisy for her to demand action from others when her own government is falling so woefully short. Sturgeon is right to call on world leaders to do more, but credible action starts at home.”

The Labour leader called on the First Minister to back his party’s climate demands, which includes pressuring large polluters, supporting the most vulnerable, and protecting nature, as well as leading by example on climate issues and forcing public sector procurement to require net zero or 1.5C warming transition plans.

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He said: “We need to see greater priority on developing local green jobs, improving the accessibility of public transport and protecting Scotland’s natural environment.

“To reach net-zero through a just transition the government also need to use their position to pressure polluting companies to reduce emissions and support investment in the development of Scotland’s renewables potential.”

Responding, a Scottish Government spokesperson said Scotland was at the “forefront of climate action”.

The spokesperson said: “Scotland has decarbonised more quickly than any G20 country, halving our greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 and we continue to out-perform the UK as a whole in delivering long-term reductions.

"We have also set ambitious targets to reach net-zero emissions by 2045 at the latest, with a 75 per cent reduction by 2030.

“The policy package of our updated Climate Change Plan and associated commitments already provide a clear and credible pathway to meeting emissions targets out to 2032.

"Delivering these policies is our priority. Scotland is also the first country in the world to set out a National Just Transition Planning Framework.”

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