Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 (Scottish Carbon Budgets) Amendment Regulations 2025: statement

Footnotes

1 The 2009 Act was amended by the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2024 (“the 2024 Act”). Section A2 of the 2009 Act makes provision for Scottish carbon budgets and associated concepts. Section A4 of the 2009 Act makes provision in connection with Scottish Ministers making regulations to set Scottish carbon budgets. Section 13(1) of the 2024 Act provides that the first regulations under section A4 of the 2009 Act setting Scottish carbon budgets are to do so by (a) inserting a new section into the 2009 Act and (b) replacing the words “by virtue of regulations under A4” in section A2(5) of the 2009 Act with a cross reference to the new section. The 2025 Regulations will - if approved by the Scottish Parliament - do this.

2 The “fair and safe Scottish emissions budget” is the aggregate amount of net Scottish emissions of greenhouse gases for the period 2010 to 2050 as recommended by the relevant body as being consistent with Scotland, in line with the principles set out in article 3 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, contributing appropriately to the holding of the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

3 Energy Trends: December 2024, special feature article - Electricity generation and supply in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, 2019 to 2023 - GOV.UK

4 The Seventh Carbon Budget - Climate Change Committee