Scotland's Climate Change Plan – 2026-2040 - Easy Read version

Key Policies in the Plan

Sector 1: Buildings (Residential and Public)

Emissions from buildings right now come from using polluting heating systems like gas boilers. Most homes in Scotland use polluting heating systems. We need to switch to clean heating systems like heat pumps and heat networks.

We will set a target for homes and buildings to change to clean heating by 2045, while also improving our insulation.

We will boost heat network development. A heat network is a shared heating system that supplies heat from a central source to groups of buildings. When a heat network is available, large business and public sector buildings will need to switch from polluting to clean heating.

We will support homeowners to install clean heating and improve their insulation. Insulation helps to keep the heat inside.

We will support those struggling to pay energy bills to have insulation and clean heating, and provide funding to help home owners fit a heat pump.

Sector 2: Transport

To reduce transport emissions everyone needs to make changes. We need to reduce the requirement to travel and encourage the use of eco-friendly forms of transport and fuels.

We will phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030. This will ensure most road vehicles are zero emission by 2040. We will work with the private sector to build more electric vehicle charging infrastructure, like charging points.

We will support people to use cars less and use more eco-friendly forms of travel, like public transport, walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys.

We will support the sustainable movement of goods by encouraging more freight (which is the transport of goods) to move by rail.

We will decarbonise scheduled flights within Scotland by 2040.

Sector 3: Waste

Waste policies will help build a more circular economy in Scotland, where we value our resources and keep them in use for as long as possible.

This will help households and businesses to reduce waste, reuse, repair and recycle more. It will reduce the impact of waste disposal on our environment and our climate.

We are helping businesses to take responsibility for the environmental impacts of the products they produce and sell. This will help reduce the impact of products like clothing, packaging, batteries and electrical and electronic equipment throughout a product’s life.

We will take actions to cut food waste across households and businesses and introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for single-use drinks containers. Recycling for households and commercial organisations will be modernised.

We will reduce emissions from landfill by banning biodegradable municipal waste from being sent to landfill, and capturing the harmful gas produced at landfill sites.

Sector 4: Energy Supply

Net Zero for energy means cutting our use of fossil fuels to reduce the amount of carbon we add to the atmosphere.

We will make and store more renewable energy and fuel that will not run out.

Generating, using and storing clean energy will mean there will be reliable, secure energy for Scotland's people, households, communities and businesses.

Plants that burn rubbish and power stations, like Peterhead, need Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage technology to be operating. This technology catches the carbon gases that the plants or power stations produce and stores them underground, or uses the carbon in other ways. This will stop the gases going to the atmosphere.

Many islands use non-renewable energy to make electricity. We want to build cables to connect more islands to the mainland so they can get renewable energy.

Sector 5: Business and Industrial Process

Scotland wants industries to use less energy and reduce the use of fossil fuels, like oil, which pollute the air or harm the environment. This will help cut down emissions and support Scotland’s climate goals.

We want industries to switch to electricity. Electricity made from renewable sources like wind and solar is best. To do this, we will upgrade the electricity grid and help update the rules about how the energy system works.

Industries can also waste energy. We want to help them stop this and use less energy overall by upgrading equipment and improving buildings. To make this happen, we’ll give industries advice and support and make plans to improve how industries use energy.

Some industries will find it difficult to reduce emissions. For these industries, we will keep working with the UK Government to roll out Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage technology. This will trap carbon before it goes into the air. It can then be used again, or stored deep underground so it cannot harm the environment.

Sector 6: Agriculture

Our agriculture industry is very important. It supplies Scotland’s world-renowned food and drink industry. It is also important to our rural communities and provides food for people across Scotland and the world.

We will continue to change how we support farmers and crofters.

Farmers and crofters will need to do more to reduce their emissions and support nature as part of that ongoing support. The Whole Farm Plan will help them to better understand their businesses emissions and the changes they can make to reduce them.

We will help our farmers and crofters to build their skills and expertise on low carbon farming with free guidance and advice. We will also work with the agriculture industry to become more efficient, including in livestock production and soil management.

New technologies can help too and that is why we will investigate and promote them. This includes non-road mobile machinery, like tractors.

We will also help farmers capture and store carbon on their land, for example by restoring peatland and integrating trees on their farms.

Sector 7: Land use, land use change and forestry

Scotland’s land supports many needs. Land used for food production also helps remove greenhouse gases and provides the clean air and fresh water we need to live. Forestry and peatlands are important land-uses.

Scotland’s forests take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it as wood. They also protect the environment, increase biodiversity and support local communities. We will plant more trees each year until 2030 and maintain levels of woodland creation after that.

Land managers and farmers will plant more trees on land in ways that strengthen existing agriculture and rural businesses. Financial help will be provided.

Scotland has around 2 million hectares of peatlands which are wetland ecosystems that have developed over thousands of years. They store carbon, support unique biodiversity and help to reduce flooding and keep our lochs, burns and rivers clean.

Peatlands are fragile and can be easily damaged, with around 70% of Scotland’s peatlands currently degraded. To reinstate the benefits they can offer, we will increase peatland restoration by 10% each year to 2030 and maintain levels after that leading to the restoration of more than 400,000 hectares by 2040.

Other policies will support the protection and management of peat, ban the sale of peat for horticulture and improve deer management.