Greenhouse Gas Parliamentary Statement

Presiding Officer, I am here today to discuss Scotland’s progress in greenhouse gas emissions reduction. But before I go into this in detail, I want to express how pleased I am to have returned to Government as the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs, a portfolio that is of great importance to the people of Scotland.

I am acutely aware of the responsibility we all have to limit and mitigate the impacts of climate damage and to take effective action on its causes. These impacts are felt by people both at home and abroad.

We’ve sadly grown used to witnessing devastating wildfires in California and across southern Europe but in recent years we are seeing similar events here in Scotland, including at Dava Moor in the Highlands, which last year experienced the first mega wildfire in any of the four nations of the UK. Be in no doubt this devastation is caused by climate change.

But, Presiding Officer, climate action is not just about reducing emissions. It is also an economic, social and health opportunity - it will make people’s lives better. It is creating thousands of jobs with many more to come, it will provide warmer homes, it has huge potential to reduce the cost of living, and it will strengthen the resilience of communities to not only protect themselves against the impacts of climate change, but also make their neighbourhoods nicer places to live.

I published the Climate Change Plan before the dissolution of the last Parliament. As much time and effort creating that plan took Presiding Officer, that‘s the easy part. Now we need to drive delivery of our ambitious policies to decarbonise our society, and capitalise on all of the benefits and economic opportunities before us.

And I say we, because every vote, every decision parliament takes will see us succeed or fail. And I am not talking about failure to reach targets, but failure to harness the clear benefits of climate action. Many of us have over the years in this parliament seen consensus on targets, but when it comes to policies and actions to deliver, even the most benign of actions face political opposition. This isn‘t good enough. We all need to ask ourselves, if we are a blocker to progress and delivery or an enabler.

Presiding Officer, earlier today we published the ‘Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics 2024’, which provide us with detail of Scotland’s latest progress in emissions reduction.  

The Official Statistics show that Scottish emissions in 2024 were 50.5 per cent lower than 1990. This is a further reduction of 1 per cent, or 0.4 Megatonnes, compared to our position in 2023.

The majority of sectors within the statistics saw modest reductions in emissions, with the largest reduction being in Industry, where a reduction of 0.3 Megatonnes of CO2 was driven by reduced fossil fuel use.

There were, however, small increases in emissions related to transport and buildings. International Aviation and Shipping increased by 0.2 Megatonnes of CO2, returning to pre-COVID levels, and Domestic Transport and Buildings each showed very slight increases.  

These statistics also continue to show that Scotland has the largest reduction in emissions in the UK between 1990 and 2024, at 50.5 per cent. The overall reduction in UK emissions, including international aviation and shipping, was 49.0 per cent. Emissions in England fell by 50.2 per cent, followed by Wales at 44.4 per cent and Northern Ireland by 28.5 per cent.

Today we have also published two further important climate reports. ‘Scotland’s Carbon Footprint 1998-2022’ Official Statistics, measures both our domestic and imported consumption-based emissions, and shows that Scotland’s carbon footprint increased by 1.6 percent between 2021 and 2022, with equivalent figures for the UK showing 3 per cent growth over this period.

Our ‘Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Scotland Annual Report 2026’ provides an update on our progress in improving nitrogen use efficiency across Scotland – supporting reductions in this significant source of Greenhouse Gas emissions.

Presiding Officer, these figures tell us something important: that progress continues to be made in Scotland, but also that the transition must accelerate.

We are bound by law to take action on reducing our emissions, but it is also an economic and social imperative. The prizes are absolutely worth it.

Within the last few weeks, the Confederation of British Industry and the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit published a report outlining that Scotland’s net zero economy currently supports 105,000 jobs and £10.2 billion in Gross Value Added.

Tens of thousands of livelihoods in Scotland are already being supported by this transition to net zero. The climate transition is not just an abstract future opportunity, it is a driver of economic growth that is already delivering for Scotland and Scottish people today.

These economic benefits underline the importance of our continued action to reach net zero, and reflect the ambitious actions the Scottish Government has already taken forward.

We have taken action on warmer homes by providing funding for the installation of more than 2,500 heat pumps last year, through the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme.

In transport, as a direct result of Scottish Government funding and private sector investment, Scotland has one of the most comprehensive public charging networks in the UK - with over 12,700 public electric vehicle chargers.

We are also supporting new industrial opportunities through Carbon Capture and Storage in Scotland, including providing £3 million of grant funding towards the Acorn project, working collaboratively with industry and the UK Government. However, we need to see the deployment of the £200 million that was pledged by the UK Government to get that off the ground.

And we continue to back our farmers and crofters to reduce emissions and improve their bottom line through sustainable farming practices. Our rural areas are already playing a vital role in Scotland’s climate transition, with over 10,000 hectares of peatland restored in 2023/24 and 53,000 hectares of woodland planted in the last five years. This is action which supports rural jobs, restores our natural environment and enables nature-based solutions to the climate crisis to cut emissions and enhance climate resilience and community resilience.

The Climate Change Plan, our Environment Strategy and our Circular Economy Strategy form a co-ordinated plan for effectively taking on the climate and nature crises.

Going forward, my colleague Stephen Gethins will lead on a Heat in Buildings Delivery Plan, which will set out the actions necessary to meet our ambitious decarbonisation target in that area. It will provide further clarity on how our buildings are heated and help to stimulate the clean heat market encouraging the clean heat supply chain.

This action is not just a crucial step towards decarbonising our buildings, it’s about warmer homes, it’s about improving the lives of Scottish families and decreasing the scourge fuel poverty.

By the end of this year, we will also publish a routemap for deploying Negative Emissions Technologies in Scotland, which will provide a framework for how carbon removals can be developed and deployed to support Scotland’s statutory commitment to reach net zero by 2045. Another market creation opportunity but it is a huge innovation opportunity as well. Technology that can be built here and offered to the rest of the world.

Presiding Officer, the Climate Change Plan, which we published in March, set out £42.3 billion in direct financial benefits for Scotland.

This included savings to households through policies like discretionary bus travel – which the Child Poverty Action Group estimates could save more than £3,000 in the lifetime of a child for families in Scotland, compared to living elsewhere in the UK.

On top of this, the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute estimated that Scotland’s Climate Change Plan would provide £8 billion in wider socio-economic impact through things like improved health through physical activity, better air quality and warmer homes.

Whether it is providing thousands of jobs, improving the air our children breathe, or making it more affordable to travel, climate action is already improving daily life across Scotland.

Those who argue that we should give up on net zero are, in effect, arguing that we should give up on warmer homes for families, give up  over 100,000 jobs in the net zero economy, and billions in financial benefits for people and businesses across Scotland. This Government will not turn its back on these opportunities – and I hope that this chamber will join me in that.

Presiding Officer, today’s statistics show continued progress towards our net zero goals but we need to go faster and further. From island communities investing in renewables, to rural areas restoring peatland, to cities improving air quality – the benefits of climate action are being felt in every part of Scotland.

Achieving net zero is an investment in our economy, in our homes and in all of our futures. That is why I am focused on delivering fair climate action which supports the priorities of this Government.

Thank you.