Scotland’s journey to net zero: challenges, issues and opportunities

Following announcements by the Scottish Government in the past few weeks, there is uncertainty about Scotland’s journey to net zero (the point where the greenhouse gas emissions being added to the atmosphere are balanced by those being removed). The climate emergency is real and present which is why we would encourage you to engage with your local politicians and tell them why urgent action is so important.

Severe weather events continue to become more frequent due to climate change. People living in poverty have done the least to cause the problem but are paying the price and this is why Scotland’s journey to net zero is important.

An example of this is in Bangladesh. Since August 2024, heavy rain and water release from upstream sources caused severe flooding in many districts, some areas got over 180mm of rain in just 3 days. An increasingly common occurrence due to climate change.

Christian Aid has responded to the crisis by working with local partner Aid Comilla, a women-led organisation that aims to help 5,622 people (960 households) severely affected by the floods. The initiative included offering cash grants for various needs and provided hygiene and dignity kits.  

The longer industrialised nations like Scotland continue to delay on climate, the more communities like Cumilla in Bangladesh will suffer the effects. 

Just over five years ago Scotland became one of the first industrialised nations to declare a climate emergency.

In October of that same year the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019, became law committing Scotland to ambitious and legally binding targets to reduce emissions by 75% by 2030, and by net zero by 2045.

However, five years on Scotland has consistently missed its annual emissions reductions targets due to a lack of action to reduce emissions in key sectors such as heating, agriculture and transport.  

Due to the targets being missed, the Scottish Government is in the regrettable position of having to change the law so that it doesn’t break it.  

In addition to this new Bill, Shona Robison MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, recently announced spending cuts for within this budgetary year. This included cuts to money intended for active travel and nature restoration, and money from ScotWind, which was earmarked for spending on the just transition to net zero, being used to cover budgetary shortfalls.   

More recently the Programme for Government, which sets out the government’s planned programme of activity for the coming year, continues to list tackling the climate crisis as one of its four priority areas and there is welcome mention of: 

• A Heat in Buildings Bill concerning the transition to low carbon heating.

• A Natural Environment Bill concerning nature recovery.

• The publication of the final version of the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.  

• The publication and implementation of detailed Just Transition Plans for the transport, agriculture and land use, and buildings sectors. 

However, the detail of these policies will all be important in moving Scotland from words to action in our journey to net zero. Within Stop Climate Chaos Scotland Coalition, there remains concern that the Programme for Government doesn’t go far enough. You can read the statement from Stop Climate Chaos Scotland here.

The key sectors where Scotland needs to show significant progress in reducing carbon emissions are housing, transport and agriculture.

• The Heat in Buildings Bill should be based on the proposals in the consultation which closed in March 2024 (see SCCS consultation response). To deliver significant benefits to household bills, health and emission reductions, there must be a swift passage of the Bill (no later than winter 2024), with clear and ambitious dates and targets, and a timetable for developing secondary regulations, with a commitment to stakeholder engagement. 

• The Natural Environment Bill needs to include statutory nature recovery targets, should enable better recognition of the need to restore nature. In particular, this should give greater incentive to measures to restore Scotland’s internationally important peatlands, to expand native woodlands, and to better manage our marine and coastal habitats. All these natural systems can contribute to reducing net emissions, as well as protecting communities and businesses from the impacts of climate change.   

• The final version of the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan should have as a basis that there will be no new oil and gas licences and developments. This presumption should be accompanied by a clear plan to manage the wind down of the North Sea basin, which is already maturing, and deliver a just transition for affected workers and communities. 

MPs and MSPs have different responsibilities in terms of nature and climate, so it is important, if possible, to engage with both. Our main asks for the UK Parliament at Westminster are:

• Significantly increasing funding (in the form of grants, not loans) to support climate vulnerable countries to adapt, mitigate and respond when climate disasters strike – this is in addition to existing UK aid. 

• Taxing the vast profits of fossil fuel companies to help provide this funding.  

• Halting all new oil and gas developments in the UK, and investing in good quality, secure green jobs. 

Engaging with an MSP or an MP can lead them to raise issues in their respective parliaments. They need to know constituents care about nature and climate. Here are some actions you can take:

• Attend a Climate Action Workshop in November to learn more about the next steps for climate action across different sectors in Scotland, campaigns you can get involved in to make a difference, and how to speak to MSPs about climate to positively influence the decisions they take in Scotland. 

• Write to one of your MSPs explaining: 

• Your concern about the deprioritising of climate by the Scottish Government and the worldwide impact of this.  

• Asking them to support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. We know that we cannot safely use all the fossil fuels that are in known oil and gas fields. To prevent a race to the bottom there needs to be an international treaty to halt the expansion of fossil fuel extraction, manage an equitable phase-out of coal, oil and gas, and lay the foundations for a true just energy transition. Many parliamentarians around the world have signed the treaty, as have businesses and even city councils, such as Edinburgh City council, Christian Aid has too.  

Engage with the UK Parliament: 

• Meet your MP using our Breaking Bread resource, there is a crib sheet about our climate asks for MPs and a short video that you can watch. 

• Sign the Christian Aid open letter to David Lammy asking him to step up the UK Government’s climate action  

• Read the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland manifesto of policies for more specific asks to make to both MPs and MSPs. 

It would be helpful for us to know if you do contact an MP or MSP as this helps inform our advocacy work. We are happy to help or answer any questions you have. You can also contact us if you would like to be kept informed about actions to take.

You can contact Lucy le Roux our Campaigns and Advocacy Coordinator at 0131 220 1254 or Lleroux@christian-aid.org.