SNP vow to 'not ask the impossible' of Scots after watered down climate targets revealed

SNP ministers have vowed to “not ask the impossible” of Scots or “sacrifice people’s health or wealth” after charting a new path to net zero with weakened targets.

The Scottish Government was forced to admit that the previously-agreed legal target to cut 1990 levels of pollution by 75 per cent by 2030 was no longer achievable, but has kept its 2045 net zero ambition intact.

The Scottish Government has charted a new path to cutting carbon emissions | Johnston Press

Statistics released last week revealed that Scotland has cut harmful carbon emissions by 51.3 per cent since 1990.

The Scottish Government has argued that the old targets and the new ambitions cannot be compared as the new metrics are five-year averages.

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The 2030 target, previously 75 per cent, has been lowered to 57 per cent as an average aim from 2026 and 2030.

The draft targets, still to be approved by MSPs, states that emissions will be cut by 69 per cent by 2035 as a five-year average measure between 2030 and 2035, 80 per cent by 2040 and 94 per cent in the five years up to and including 2045 when net zero will be achieved.

The initial targets, set by MSPs in 2019, stated that pollution should be cut by 100 per cent by 2045. Despite the 94 per cent target, the net zero definition is not being changed and a 100 per cent reduction will still be required.

READ MORE: Scots could face more drastic transport and heating rules amid 2045 net zero fears

Once approved by MSPs, the Scottish Government will publish a new draft climate change plan by the end of the year - coming two years later than promised.

Climate Action and Energy Secretary, Gillian Martin, said: “These carbon budgets will set clear limits on emissions for the coming decades in line with the independent advice of the UK Climate Change Committee.

“When we publish our draft climate change plan later this year, it will set out the policies needed to continue to reduce our emissions and meet our first three carbon budget targets.

Climate Action and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin | Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

“It will not ask the impossible of people. We will not sacrifice people’s health or wealth.”

READ MORE: SNP told more heat pumps must be installed 'rapidly' in homes as 'immediate action' urged by climate advisers

But the Scottish Government has been criticised for ignoring the CCC advice over livestock and peatland. Scottish Greens co-leader, Patrick Harvie, labelled the "deeply troubling” move as “yet another step away from evidence-based climate policy”.

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie | Andrew Milligan/Press Association

He added: “The UKCCC is clear - we can reach Scotland’s 2045 target. But that will only happen if we are brave enough to have less words and more action to get the job done.“

Claire Daly, head of policy and advocacy at WWF Scotland, warned that “these commitments will remain merely lines on a page without strong action to back them up”, pointing to “measures to support clean heating in our homes and the transition to more climate- and nature-friendly agriculture”.

Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “Cutting emissions won’t come on the cheap. Scotland needs real investment in warmer homes, more affordable public transport and cleaner energy.

“Scottish ministers seem to recognise that spending more now will save far more down the line but they’re holding back from making the bold funding choices needed.

“They must raise extra money in a fair way, by asking those with the most, and those most responsible for pollution, to contribute more, such as through a tax on private jets: a needless, pollution-spewing luxury. Investing now means cleaner air, greener jobs, and a safer future for us all.”