We are proud of Scotland’s ambition on climate change – we will now step up our action to ensure we maintain Scotland’s reputation as a global leader on tackling climate change.
Scotland is well on track to meet our challenging target of a 42 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. We are now committed to achieving a 100 per cent reduction in emissions as soon as possible and will put in place the toughest targets anywhere.
We have already exceeded our target of producing 50 per cent of our electricity needs from renewables by 2015. We will now go further. By 2030 we will aim for the equivalent of 50 per cent of Scotland’s heat, transport and electricity consumption to be supplied from renewable sources.
We will phase out the need for petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2032. We are investing in active and sustainable travel too – doubling investment in walking and cycling in Scotland to £80 million a year.
We are committed to reducing single use plastic waste. We will introduce a deposit return scheme for drinks containers, to increase recycling and reduce littering. And an expert panel is looking at what else we can do to reduce demand for single use items.
We have ensured that neither fracking nor underground coal gasification have a place in Scotland’s energy mix.
Through the SNP Government’s innovative Climate Justice Fund, Scotland is championing the principle of climate justice, which strongly recognises the impacts of climate change on the world’s poor and on their human rights.
We are also taking forward plans for land reform to make sure we get the most from our land, rural and urban, now and for future generations. We want communities to have a say in how land in their area is used, and to tackle the causes and consequences of inequality.