Scottish government ditches flagship climate change target as it accepts it is ‘out of reach’
The Scottish government has ditched its flagship target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030 after accepting that it is now “out of reach”.
However, an “unwavering commitment” to achieve net zero by 2045 will remain.
Mairi McAllan, minister for wellbeing economy, net zero and energy, announced the move in an update to Holyrood on Thursday as she set out the government’s next steps on tackling climate change.
The decision comes following a damning report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) last month which said the 2030 target was now “beyond what is credible”.
Ms McAllan said: “In this challenging context of cuts and UK backtracking, we accept the CCCs recent re-articulation that this parliament’s interim 2030 target is out of reach.
“We must now act to chart a course to 2045 at a pace and scale that is feasible, fair and just.”
Mairi McAllan, minister for wellbeing economy, net zero and energy. Pic: PA
Scotland has missed eight of the past 12 annual targets for cutting planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
The CCC said in order for Scotland to achieve its goal of cutting harmful emissions by 75% by 2030, the rate of emission reduction in most sectors would need to increase by a factor of nine in the years up to the end of the decade.
The Scottish government was the first in the world to declare a climate emergency.
Ms McAllan set out a new package of climate action measures.
The Scottish government intends to:
• Triple the number of electric vehicle charge points across Scotland – an increase of around 24,000 – by 2030.
• Explore a new national integrated ticketing system for public transport, which would enable passengers to use one system for all elements of a journey.
• Work with businesses to support the transition away from petrol and diesel vans.
• Take forward a pilot scheme with a number of farms to establish future appropriate uptake of methane-suppressing feed products or additives. Proportionate carbon audits will also be required by farms receiving public support by 2028 at the latest.
• Accelerate its regional land use partnerships, with up to three new areas coming into the initiative over the next year.
• Accelerate peatland restoration by investigating how partial re-wetting can co-exist with continued agricultural activity and access to support, including investment of up to £1m in pilot projects.
• Launch a consultation this summer on carbon land tax on the largest estates, considering regulatory and fiscal changes that could further incentivise peatland restoration, afforestation and renewable energy production.
• Consider the recommendation from the green heat finance taskforce to review and publish, by the end of 2024, analysis of how non-domestic rates reliefs can better support Holyrood’s climate ambitions and encourage investment in energy efficiency and clean heating systems.
• Publish its final energy strategy and just transition plan this summer, followed by draft plans for transport, agriculture and land use, and buildings and construction. After the publication of a just transition plan for Grangemouth, the government will co-develop a just transition plan for Mossmorran.
• Redouble efforts to ensure net zero is fully considered in its workforce, spending, policy development and structures, starting with the full rollout of a net zero assessment in the Scottish government from the end of 2024.
• Work with COSLA to understand wider public sector spend and opportunities for action.
• Propose the establishment of a four nations climate response group, with a remit including climate financing and the balance of reserved and devolved powers.
Ms McAllan said the “severe budgetary restrictions imposed by the UK government” and the “continuing constraints of devolution” meant the Scottish government was trying to deliver “societal and economic transformation with one hand tied behind our back”.
She warned “full delivery” of Holyrood’s plans would depend on Westminster “reversing the 9% cut to our capital budget”.
Ms McAllan said: “This government and parliament rightly has high ambitions, and it is beyond doubt that investing now in net zero is the right thing for our environment, our society and our economy. But we are being held back.
“So, I am asking MSPs across this chamber to work with us to call on the UK government to reverse Scotland’s capital cut.”
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Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said he was “angry and disappointed” over the decision.
He added: “We must see urgent and accelerated climate action across all areas and levels of government, and those parties who vote for targets but then block the action needed to reach them will have no credibility.
“I have no doubt that if successive Scottish and UK governments had taken the actions needed at the time, as Greens consistently urged, we would be on track for that 2030 target.
“The fact that we aren’t is exactly why we need to focus on delivering real change and ramp up climate action.”
Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie, Scottish Greens co-leaders, and Ms McAllan on Thursday.
Friends of the Earth Scotland branded the announcement “the worst environmental decision in the history of the Scottish parliament”.
Imogen Dow, head of campaigns, said: “Instead of using the past decade to deliver warm homes, reliable public transport and a fair transition away from fossil fuels, inept, short-termist politicians have kept millions of people trapped in the broken status quo that only benefits big polluters.”
Ms Dow called for the delayed Climate Change Plan to be published and urged the government to apologise for their “colossal climate failure”.
She added: “Instead of significant response and a ramping up of action, the Scottish government has presented a weak package of re-heated ideas, many of which were already pledged years ago and never delivered.”
The head of Oxfam Scotland described it as a “reprehensible retreat”.
Jamie Livingstone added: “With scientists linking deadly heatwaves in West Africa to climate change and Dubai drowning in a deluge of rain, the urgency of climate action couldn’t be clearer.
“The announcement of largely recycled measures represents baby steps forward rather than the giant leaps needed and are a thinly veiled distraction from ministers’ failure to deliver their existing climate commitments.”
First Minister Humza Yousaf with Smart Green Shipping CEO Diane Gilpin. Pic: PA
Diane Gilpin, CEO and founder of Smart Green Shipping, met with Humza Yousaf on Wednesday as the first minister officially “launched” a 20-metre wingsail that will take to the seas for tests later this year.
It is hoped wingsails will help transform the way many commercial ships are powered and reduce fuel emissions.
Ms Gilpin said Holyrood’s rollback was “disappointing”, but “targets are just that – targets”.
She added: “We need to focus on solutions that are driving us towards net zero.
“Scotland is still setting an example for other countries, with initiatives in place to fund and support first-movers and a great deal of ambition and collaboration, including the citizens’ Climate Assembly, designed to engage the public in making decisions to tackle climate change.
“By continuing its focus on tangible solutions, Scotland will regain its status as a leader in net zero.”
Tulip Siddiq has sought to distance herself from her aunt, deposed Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina, claiming they never spoke about politics.
But Sky News can reveal that in a blog written by the now City minister she boasted about how close they were politically and published photos of them together.
In posts written in late 2008 and early 2009, when she was a Labour activist, Ms Siddiq described campaigning with her aunt in Bangladesh’s general election and celebrating her victory.
Our disclosure coincides with a new report in The Times which reveals how the embattled MP’s Labour Party flyers were found in the palace in Dhaka that belonged to her aunt, who was ousted in a coup last year.
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Labour’s Tulip Siddiq risks losing job
The blog is headed: “Tulip Siddiq, member of the Labour Party action team in Bloomsbury and King’s Cross”, and in a post on January 11, 2009, Ms Siddiq told supporters: “I was really busy in Bangladesh as you probably gathered…
“I’ve put up photos of Sheikh Hasina’s post-election press conference at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka.
“The most significant element of this press conference for me was Sheikh Hasina’s insistence that all the political parties in Bangladesh need to work together for the welfare of the country.
“It is no secret that past governments have not worked with the other political parties and we need to change this trend.
“The prime minister emphasised that the Awami League does not support the ‘politics of vengeance’ which is encouraging so let’s hope that a new political culture is created this year.”
She added: “Here’s an action shot of me with the prime minister at the press conference. I’m not sure what I was saying but it probably wasn’t that interesting!”
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‘Tulip Siddiq will lose job if she broke rules’
In a post on January 21, 2009, she wrote: “I was fortunate enough to travel with Sheikh Hasina in her car during election day.
“The prime minister-elect (Prime Ministerial candidate at the time!) drove to several constituencies in Dhaka and stopped quickly at each one to meet the parliamentary candidate or speak to the voters.”
Describing traveling in her aunt’s car, she wrote: “You can see all my photos from election day here… I apologise for the poor quality of some of the pictures. I was taking photos from inside her car which is actually quite difficult!”
“You’ll also see a photo of Dhaka Central Jail. I took that photo because Sheikh Hasina told me that this jail was practically her second home for most of her childhood as her father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was under arrest for many years.
“She told me that she visited him with the rest of her family every weekend, so it was a very familiar landmark.”
Earlier, on December 29, 2008, under the heading “Victory!”, Ms Siddiq wrote: “The Awami League have won the elections by a landslide! Sheikh Hasina is the prime minister-elect! I am ecstatic!
“I’ve been on the campaign trail with Sheikh Hasina all day so I don’t really have the energy to write much more but I will do so tomorrow.
“However, I can’t resist uploading a couple of photos. This is Sheikh Hasina’s face just before she heard the results from an unwinnable constituency.
“Here she is after she heard that the Awami League hard work had paid off in that seat.”
The Times reports that political literature of Ms Siddiq, Sir Keir Starmer’s anti-corruption minister, was found at the heavily guarded palace in Dhaka, covered by dust and debris.
At the top of a staircase were items produced by Ms Sidddiq. One was a thank you note to local Labour Party members following her election as MP for Hampstead and Kilburn.
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Another was her annual report for 2022, inviting readers to learn about her help for those affected by the cost-of-living crisis.
The new disclosures will pile further pressure on Ms Siddiq and lead to further calls on the prime minister to sack her.
Many Labour MPs believe her ministerial career is now hanging by a thread.
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On Sky News earlier, cabinet minister Peter Kyle told Trevor Phillips Ms Siddiq was right to submit herself to an ethics investigation over corruption allegations and strongly hinted she would be sacked if found to have broken the ministerial code.
Asked whether she should stand down until she is cleared of impropriety, Mr Kyle said: “I think she’s done exactly the right thing. She’s referred herself that the inquiry needs to go through. I think that that’s the appropriate way forward.
“I’m giving it all the space it needs to do. I’ll be listening for the outcome as the Prime Minister will be.
“There was a process underway and we know full well it will be a functional process, and the outcomes of it will be stuck to by the prime minister and this government, a complete contrast to what we’ve had in the past.”
Sky News has approached Ms Siddiq and the Labour Party for comment.
There comes a point in the arc of most political scandals after which a resignation risks prompting more questions than it answers.
The danger for Tulip Siddiq – and by extension Sir Keir Starmer – is that threshold may about to be passed, if it hasn’t been already.
In other words, if she goes now, plenty will wonder why it didn’t happen sooner and why Downing Street allowed the story to gather pace and inflict further damage before acting.
The answer to this is partly because nothing has emerged so far that’s such an explicit rule break that it would trigger an automatic sacking or resignation.
That means the affair still resides – just about – in the box marked “looks bad” rather than the more sinister one marked “is bad”.
The standards adviser has been asked to “establish the facts” – a classic political technique to try and smother a story by announcing an inquiry.
Read more:
Siddiq refers herself to ethics watchdog
Minister caught up in anti-corruption probe
Cabinet minister Peter Kyle told Sky News the outcome of that exercise “will be stuck to”, meaning the junior Treasury minister will be relieved of her responsibilities if a breach of the government’s code of conduct is identified.
But some within Labour are contrasting this case with the rapid resignation of Louise Haigh as transport secretary after Sky News revealed she had pleaded guilty to an offence in court shortly before becoming an MP.
They suggest the key difference is that Ms Haigh was relatively left-wing and at odds with some in Downing Street, while Ms Siddiq is a constituency neighbour and ally of the prime minister.
“Keir Starmer has been consistently ruthless against people perceived to be more on the left of the party and very lenient with people perceived to be more on the right of the party,” said former Jeremy Corbyn adviser Andrew Fisher.
A counter to this is that Ms Siddiq is not a cabinet minister.
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Minister suggests Siddiq could lose job
That said, she does oversee efforts to combat financial crime, money laundering and corruption – three activities she is now finding herself linked to, albeit in a different country.
The fact she pulled out from the chancellor’s trip to China this weekend also opens an easy attack line that the story is already stopping her from doing her job.
So where does this go now?
There is a chance that something may emerge that forces an immediate departure.
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Engaging the standards adviser may also backfire if a technical breach potentially relating to declarations or conflicts of interest is found.
But a third option is potentially most damaging for the government – that Ms Siddiq becomes politically paralysed by the volume of stories surfacing and is forced to step down simply to stem the flow.
The government will “mainline AI into the veins” of the UK, with plans being unveiled today by Sir Keir Starmer.
The prime minister is set to promise investment, jobs and economic growth due to a boom in the sector.
It comes as his government battles against allegations they are mismanaging the economy and stymied growth with the budget last autumn.
The government’s announcement claims that, if AI is “fully embraced”, it could bring £47bn to the economy every year.
And it says that £14bn is set to be invested by the private sector, bringing around 13,000 jobs.
The majority of those would be construction roles to build new data centres and other infrastructure, with a smaller number of technical jobs once the work is finished.
Sir Keir said: “Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people.
“But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.”
The prime minister added that he wants Britain to be “the world leader” in AI.
The government announcement said: “Today’s plan mainlines AI into the veins of this enterprising nation.”
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To achieve this, the government will implement all 50 recommendations made by Matt Clifford following his review last year.
This includes creating new AI “growth zones” – the first of which is set to be in Culham, Oxfordshire, where the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority is based.
These zones will get faster planning decisions and extra power infrastructure.
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Is the AI boom turning into a market bubble?
The government also wants to increase UK computing power 20-fold by 2030, including by building a brand-new supercomputer.
Labour cancelled a planned supercomputer when it entered office, as it claimed it wasn’t funded. The new venture is expected to be a joint public-private project.
The government says its plans will have three pillars. This includes laying the foundations with new AI growth zones and the new supercomputer.
The second is to boost AI take up by the public and private sectors. New pilots for AI in the public service are set to be announced, and Sir Keir has written to all cabinet ministers, telling them to drive AI adoption and growth.
And the third pillar is keeping ahead of the pack, with the government set to establish a “team” to keep the UK “at the forefront of emerging technology”.
The announcement was welcomed by a slew of technology bosses.
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Chris Lehane, the chief global affairs officer at OpenAI, which released ChatGPT, said: “The government’s AI action plan – led by the prime minister and [Science] Secretary Peter Kyle – recognises where AI development is headed and sets the UK on the right path to benefit from its growth.
“The UK has an enormous national resource in the talent of its people, institutions and businesses which together, can leverage AI to advance the country’s national interest.”
The shadow secretary for science, innovation and technology, Alan Mak, said: “Labour’s plan will not support the UK to become a tech and science superpower. They’re delivering analogue government in a digital age.
“Shaping a successful AI future requires investment, but in the six months leading up to this plan, Labour cut £1.3bn in funding for Britain’s first next-generation supercomputer and AI research whilst imposing a national insurance jobs tax that will cost business in the digital sector £1.66bn.
“AI does have the potential to transform public services, but Labour’s economic mismanagement and uninspiring plan will mean Britain is left behind.”
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