Roseanna Cunningham calls for UK Government action to help Scotland meet climate targets

Roseanna Cunningham has urged the UK Government to take the action required in reserved areas for Scotland to meet its climate targets.

The Scottish Government last month agreed to back Committee on Climate Change (CCC) recommendations to target net-zero emissions by 2045 at the latest, with Scotland becoming carbon neutral by 2040.

But writing to the Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, Claire Perry, Cunningham expressed disappointment that “at this crucial juncture, the UK Government has chosen not yet to respond to the CCC’s advice or to express a position on the EU proposal to reach net zero by 2050”.

Cunningham wrote to her UK counterparts at the start of May to request policy commitments on six key reserved policy areas, but warned the response from ministers “does not respond to the points raised in that letter”.

Calling for an urgent meeting between the UK and Scottish governments, the Environment Secretary urged UK ministers to accelerate deployment of fully operational carbon capture utilisation and storage facilities, and to re-design vehicle and tax incentives to support industry and business investment in zero emission and sustainable transport choices.

She also requested the UK Government speed up action to decarbonise the gas grid, and consider the balance of taxes across different heating fuels to enable affordable low-carbon heating in homes and businesses across Scotland.

The Environment Secretary also called on ministers to commit to meeting future EU emission standards regardless of Brexit, to reduce VAT on energy efficiency improvements in homes, and to ensure continued support for the renewables industry.