On 24 April Stop Climate Chaos Scotland welcomed the strong report from the Scottish Parliament’s Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee on the Scottish Climate Change Bill. The report recommends that the Bill needs tougher targets and broader scope. The Government will now have to respond to the Committee’s report in a debate expected next week.

Mike Robinson Chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland said:

This is great work by the Committee who have seen through the loopholes that the Government left in the original Bill and suggested positive ways to make the Bill tougher and more effective. We are particularly pleased to see recommendations for bringing forward the interim target on emissions reductions and to take stronger action in the early years.

Una Bartley Policy & Parliamentary Officer for Christian Aid added:

We welcome the Committee’s recommendation that any targets in the Bill should be met largely through reducing emissions in Scotland, rather than buying in carbon credits from overseas. The Bill must ensure that at least 80% of the targets are met through emission reductions made at home.

Dr Richard Dixon Director of WWF Scotland said:

Aviation is a fast-growing source of emissions, yet has so far been left out of all the international climate targets. The Committee's tough stance on including the full impacts of aviation from the start is a strong message that the Government must respond to. Including aviation in Scotland's targets is probably the most important message of serious intent that Scotland can send to the international community.

Chris Hegarty Advocacy Manager for SCIAF commented:

We welcome the recognition of the need for early action. It is essential that Scotland commit itself to 3% annual emissions reductions targets from 2010. The devastating effects of climate change on poor and vulnerable people all over the world are today’s reality. People with whom we work in Africa, Asia and Latin America already face increasing crop failures, drought and hurricanes.

Dave Watson Scottish Organiser of UNISON said:

SCCS welcomes the recommendation that Ministers should create a general climate change duty on all public bodies now. This is crucial in ensuring that the public sector leads by example in delivering sustainable climate change action. We hope Parliament will support amending the Bill to establish the duty.

Specifically the Committee has recommended:
On a 2020 target - that new interim targets should be brought forward to 2020 and made more challenging.

On annual targets - that the Government should take early action to reduce emissions. Specifically recommending that the Government either specify more challenging annual targets between 2010 and 2020, or bring significantly forward the start date for 3% annual emissions reduction.

On including international aviation and shipping - that emissions from aviation and shipping be fully included in our emission reduction targets and additionally that there should be separate provisions covering aviation and shipping in the bill.

On public bodies - that the Government should create a general duty on public bodies to take account of climate change in their activities.

On meeting our targets in Scotland - that the Bill should include provisions to set a limit on buying overseas carbon credits to meet our emissions targets. This limit should be set by Ministers and subject to the approval of Parliament.

On Consumption Based Reporting - that a mechanism for reporting on consumption should be established, which is in addition to, but separate from, the framework of targets set out in the Bill.