Net Zero Assessment: Pilot report

Annex E- Scottish Government guidance on advice to Ministers

Protecting the planet by tackling the climate emergency is one of the First Minister’s four top priorities for the Scottish Government. Internal guidance to Scottish Government officials preparing advice for Ministers was developed in October 2024, including the requirement that where policy proposals result in a material change in greenhouse gas emissions a Net Zero Assessment should have been conducted and the outputs from that assessment included in advice to Ministers. The guidance is set out in the text box below:

Guidance to officials preparing advice for Ministers 18 October 2024

Protecting the planet

You should consider the impact of the proposal in light of the Scottish Government’s statutory climate change and nature and biodiversity commitments. This means the proposal should be assessed in terms of its impact on:

Greenhouse gas emissions.

• Consideration should be given to whether the proposal will act in a way best calculated to contribute to the delivery of Scotland’s emissions reduction targets and result in a material change in greenhouse gas emissions, in which case a Net Zero Assessment should have been conducted and the outputs from that assessment included in the submission.
• Climate resilience to support adaptation to the irreversible impacts of climate change. Equally, the impact should also be considered in light of building climate resilience through the Scottish Government’s goals on adaptation, as set out in the Scottish National Adaptation Plan.
• Just transition to net zero. In assessing the impacts on this priority it is also important to set out how the proposals support the principles of a just transition to net zero.
• Climate-related public engagement. You should set out whether the proposal has been developed in line with the approach set out in the Public Engagement Strategy for Climate Change, and consideration should be given to the public behaviour change implications and how these have these been addressed.
• Nature and biodiversity. The proposal should set out how it protects Scotland’s natural environment and considers opportunities to restore biodiversity in line with the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.