THE Scottish Government’s flagship climate change Bill faces near certain defeat in Holyrood tomorrow, after the Greens said they couldn’t back the targets set by SNP ministers.
It’s unlikely too that Labour and the LibDems will support the legislation.
Though there’s support for the Bill’s aim to reach net-zero emissions by 2045, the interim target of reducing carbon emission by 70% by 2030 is not ambitious enough for the three opposition parties.
The Greens say unless the Government up this target to 80% then they cannot in “good conscience” support the legislation.
Last night there was little movement from the SNP administration on this key demand.
Defeat would be deeply embarrassing for the SNP.
Nicola Sturgeon put climate change at the heart of programme for Government and earlier this month Glasgow was named as the location of the crucial COP26 climate conference in 2020.
Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell said there was widespread support for the 80% target.
He said: “Climate scientists have been clear that we have just a decade to turn this around. Championing eye-catching targets that won’t bite for decades while continuing to spend millions on new motorways and back maximum extraction of fossil fuels just won’t cut it anymore.
“The most important part of this Bill is the 2030 target because it will have a direct impact on what we do now, and because scientific evidence tells us the next ten years are absolutely crucial.
“Talk of ‘world-leading targets’ is cheap. If Scotland is to lead it needs to be bolder. Look at Finland, which has pledged to be completely carbon neutral by 2035. That’s what happens when Greens are in Government.
“Unless the SNP listens to young people and climate scientists and uses this Bill to provoke transformative action now by adopting an 80% target by 2030, Scottish Greens cannot in all good conscience back the Climate Bill.”
Like the Greens, Labour and the LibDems want the 10 year target to be higher, though they’re only asking the Government to go up to 75%.
LibDem energy spokesman Liam McArthur said: “The transition to a net zero country needs to be quicker. Early action to cut emissions is critical to stopping irreversible damage to our environment.
“As the placards say, there is no planet B.
“This is both a credible and ambitious proposal to increase Scotland’s climate change targets.
“In order to achieve this enhanced 75% cut, many aspects of our lives will require nothing short of transformation.
“At the Liberal Democrat conference this week we set out exactly how we would respond to the climate emergency.
“Across the entire UK we need rapid expansion in renewable energy, to insulate tens of millions of buildings and to end the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2030.
“That is the scale of the response the planet needs now.”
Tens of thousands of Scots took to the streets last Friday as part of a global climate strike demanding urgent action from governments.
Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said the 70% target “more than meets what the [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] says is needed globally to prevent warming of more than 1.5 degrees.”
She added: “We are following the independent advice from our statutory advisor on the most ambitious, credible and responsible targets.
“All of society have important contributions to make. We have begun the discussion through the Big Climate Conversations and are committed to continuing that dialogue as we move forward together to make lasting change.”
Cunningham said the government would support the Greens other key ask, which to have Citizens Assembly on Climate Change.
Campaigners are expected outside the Scottish Parliament today, with many reading from last year’s report by IPCC that warned there are just 10 years to prevent climate breakdown, making the next decade critical.
Caroline Rance from Stop Climate Chaos Scotland said: “Climate science must guide MSPs.”
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