Draft climate change plan: Ministerial statement

Presiding Officer, this government’s commitment to reaching net zero fairly remains unwavering.

Responding to the climate emergency is both one of the most important challenges of our times and, done right,  one our country’s greatest economic opportunities – with benefits for everyone.

I am proud of the progress Scotland has already made, in reducing our carbon emissions and in unlocking new, low carbon economic opportunities.

Others might try to present economic growth and emissions reduction as opposing aims, but we have shown that they go hand in hand. We’re now over halfway to net zero, and in the same period we’ve grown our economy by more than 67%. 

And while we know that the most challenging part of the journey lies ahead, I am confident that, with Scotland’s talent for innovation and the skills and strengths of our people, we have what it takes to deliver.

Parliament can no longer sit on its hands. Since the last Climate Change Plan, we have seen parties in this Chamber opposing even modest proposals for the sake of opposition, when what today’s citizens – as well as future generations – need is for us to back these aims with action and take responsibility. So, I hope Parliament will engage constructively with this draft Plan.

Delivering it will take more than Scottish Government action alone. The UK Government must do more to support Scotland by – crucially – reducing the price of electricity, which will unlock so many critical climate actions and improve people’s lives. I will continue to work constructively with them to make this happen.

This includes working on our shared commitment to decarbonise Heat in Buildings. It is an area where Scottish Government has shown leadership – demonstrated by our legislative requirement for new homes to install clean heat and our continued drive and ambition to promote investment and growth in heat networks.

Today’s Plan maintains that leadership. It confirms our target to decarbonise the heat in Scotland’s buildings by 2045, in a manner consistent with our commitment to reduce fuel poverty by maintaining our support for those who need it most.

But the UK Government must show similar leadership. The latest delay to its Warm Homes Plan means that we still lack essential information on when, and how the UK Government will use its reserved powers to make clean heat systems more affordable.

I urge the UK Government to provide this clarity as soon as possible, and we remain ready to work with them to accelerate the transition to clean heat in our homes and buildings.

We will also continue to work collaboratively with other partners –  

• local authorities,
• industry and,
• the third sector.

And we must bring people with us on this journey.

The voices of climate inaction are growing globally, but also here at home. Some question the impact a country of Scotland’s size can make. However, Scotland has demonstrated how smaller countries can contribute to global change. We continue to accelerate ambition and action of partners globally  through our leadership positions as Regions4 President and Under2 Coalition European co-chair.

In addition, we are increasingly feeling the real-life impacts of climate change domestically. The growing frequency of storms, heatwaves, and flooding events is impacting our health, our livelihoods and the resilience of our communities. Indeed, the Scottish Climate Survey shows that most of us see climate change as an immediate problem for our country.

So tackling the climate emergency remains a priority for this Government - and must continue to be so for this, and future Parliaments.  

The draft Climate Change Plan we’ve laid before Parliament today sets out over 150 actions that we must take, between now and 2040, to grow our economy and reduce our carbon emissions.

But - as well as reducing emissions– this Plan is also about how we unlock economic benefits, strengthen our communities, tackle poverty, restore nature, and improve health and wellbeing.

Many of these wider benefits are already being delivered. Low carbon, sustainable jobs are growing faster here than in the rest of the UK, thanks to consistent Scottish Government investment. Low or zero carbon industries – such as renewable energy and hydrogen – have expanded by over 20% since 2022, contributing more than £9 billion to the economy and supporting over 100,000 jobs.

Our electricity sector exemplifies this. Between 1990 and 2022, emissions from electricity generation fell by 88%, driven by our natural resources, community involvement, supportive planning, and falling costs – with wind and solar now the lowest cost forms of new generation. Today, Scotland generates more than half its electricity from renewables and, in 2024 alone, community benefit payments from renewable projects exceeded £30 million.

And there’s still massive untapped potential, for example in hydro, tidal and wave energy, anaerobic digestion and geothermal.

The transition – and the action we’re taking - is already ensuring major benefits for Scotland with much more to come.

However, as well as seizing these new opportunities, we also have a particular responsibility to areas where inevitably change will be felt the most.

That’s why we have invested over £120 million so far in the North East through the Just Transition and Energy Transition Funds, supporting workers into low carbon jobs and enabling investment in offshore wind, port infrastructure, and supply chains.

We are also investing an additional £9 million in the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund to help North Sea workers move into those low carbon roles.

These initiatives sit alongside the work we’re doing to support people through the transition and deliver the wider benefits fairly.

For example, the redesign of our energy and transport systems will also help to reduce household costs, improve air quality, and enhance energy security.

The draft Plan includes new support for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and consumer incentives to encourage EV uptake. We will use commercial finance to support the decarbonisation of heavy goods vehicles.

We are also introducing new Energy Performance Certificate regulations and setting out proposals to boost heat network development by requiring large, non-domestic premises to move away from fossil fuel heating systems when they have the opportunity to connect to a heat network.   

In this way, infrastructure and local places are being transformed to support health and wellbeing

Our approach also focusses on nature-based solutions that will benefit communities, restore ecosystems and protect green spaces.

In 2023, Scotland created over 8,400 hectares of new woodland. To go further, we’re supporting skills development on forestry management to increase farm productivity and tree planting.

We’ve restored over 90,000 hectares of degraded peatland. Through this draft Plan, Scotland’s new LiDAR data will help us to accelerate the amount of peatland restored year on year.

The speed of our decarbonisation follows advice from the Climate Change Committee. Scotland is delivering on the moral imperative to end our contribution to global emissions.  

But we will also make important departures from the Committee’s policy advice, including on livestock numbers and agricultural emissions.

We will support farmers, crofters and other land managers to continue producing high quality food and protect rural livelihoods, while enhancing biodiversity, soil health, and agricultural business productivity. 

We can do this because of emissions savings in other sectors, including higher fuel supply decarbonisation in our energy supply, and emissions reductions in peatlands. This Plan reflects a distinctly Scottish way of achieving this.

 I’m grateful to many who have shaped our approach to this draft Plan, including the Climate Change Plan Advisory Group, the Just Transition Commission and scientific advisory bodies.

We know that involving people in the policymaking process, makes policy smarter and more effective,. So, I would encourage anyone with an interest to respond to our consultation on the Plan.

My door remains open to anyone across the Chamber who wants to engage constructively on this draft Plan so the final version is as strong as possible.

Presiding Officer, it is this Government’s responsibility to lead. And by doing so, through this Plan, we will enable others to also act and innovate.  

However, we can’t reach net zero alone. People and businesses need to work with us on this shared, national endeavour –  to fight against climate change and harness the possibilities before us. 

It is a national challenge Scotland must win. Because the prize is not only a healthier climate, but warmer homes, cleaner air and happier, more equitable and prosperous communities.

Thank you.