Climate change expert calls for less talk and more action from SNP on reducing emissions

The outgoing head of the Climate Change Committee has criticised the Scottish Government’s lack of action on tackling emissions and its decision to blame its UK counterpart for its limited progress.

Last week net zero secretary Mairi McAllan confirmed the Scottish Government would scrap its 2030 target of reducing emissions by 75 per cent against 1990 levels, blaming “severe budgetary restrictions” and the “limits” of devolution.

In an interview in the new edition of Holyrood, Chris Stark, the chief executive of the independent Climate Change Committee, said the government’s rhetoric on the climate had not been followed up by action.

“My strongest criticism of what the Scottish Government’s done recently is that we’ve only had statements rather than proper plans and actions put in place,” Stark said.

“It’s the plans and actions that matter in the end. If anything, if they were worried about what the UK Government was doing on climate, that should accelerate the Scottish plan. There’s a convenience to blaming the UK Government when most of the policy issues now sit with Holyrood.”

Stark, who steps down from the CCC at the end of the month after more than six years in the post, said he was confident Scotland could still meet its overall goal of being net zero by 2045 – five years ahead of the UK as a whole.

But he said while net zero had turned into a “culture war issue” at Westminster, the UK Government will still making better progress than its Scottish counterpart.

He said: “The Conservative government find themselves in a position of having to speak to people who don’t want to talk about climate change but knowing they still need to build the policies.

“It contrasts with Scottish ministers who have been rather more reluctant to develop the climate change policies at all but are more happy to talk about climate change. It’s definitely a different dynamic.”

Asked if it was fair for Scottish ministers to blame the UK Government for lack of progress, Stark said: “It’s absolutely true that we will need a UK-wide environment for things like energy supply and energy policy… but when it comes to things like decarbonising buildings or rolling out electric vehicles, these are mainly Scottish issues and have been for some time.

“I think the lack of a plan is a real problem and I don’t buy the argument that it’s because Rishi Sunak has changed his views. If you look at what Rishi Sunak has actually announced, policy changes haven’t been that great from Number 10. We’re in a position where the gap, I’m afraid, is at a Scottish level.”

The Scottish Government’s announcement last week followed a critical report from the CCC which said reaching the 2030 milestone was no longer credible. 

A fresh bill will now be brought forward to adjust the legally binding targets, removing the 2030 interim target but keeping the ultimate ambition to hit net zero by 2045.

Climate campaign groups called the decision “shameful” and a “global embarrassment”.

Speaking before the government’s announcement, Stark also expressed frustration at the length of time it has taken to appoint a replacement for Lord Deben, a former Tory environment minister, who stood down as chair of the CCC last summer.

He said: “I don’t know if politics has held that up, but the need to agree with every devolved government and the UK Government a single person is extraordinarily tricky. It’s clearly not a good signal – I really wish we had a chair installed by now.

“Had we done it sooner in the process, I think it would have been easier. [Lord Deben] served 10 years and then was given an extra year because the process to replace him hadn’t yet begun. It’s that extra year that has meant that, if I’m right on these political difficulties with a general election on the way, it’s extremely difficult for those governments to agree with each other. Had we done it sooner, I think it would have been easier but clearly it sends a poor signal of priority.”