Earth and Habitat (Commonwealth Union) _ The Scottish government has failed to meet its annual target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, falling short of its goal for 2022. Emissions have decreased by 50% from the 1990 baseline, slightly down from the previous year, but still below the 53.8% target. This marks the ninth time in the past 13 years that the Scottish government has missed its climate benchmarks.
In response to these repeated shortfalls, the government announced in April that it will abandon annual targets in favor of carbon budgets for each five-year parliamentary term, aligning with the rest of the UK. The interim target of a 75% reduction by 2030 has also been deemed unattainable.
The 2022 figures highlight an increase in domestic transport emissions, which are the largest single source of greenhouse gases in Scotland, accounting for 28.3% of total emissions. The rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic is largely blamed for this rise. Emissions from international aviation and shipping have nearly doubled from the previous year but remain a smaller portion of total emissions at 3.7%.
Despite the overall slight year-on-year emission increase of just 0.1%, there have been reductions in other sectors. Agricultural emissions decreased by 3.2%, and residential emissions fell by 16.3%, largely due to higher gas prices and mild temperatures early in the year. Notably, the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere through natural processes, like tree planting and grass growth, now equals the emissions from domestic transport.
Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan pointed out that Scotland’s emissions have reduced more significantly than those in the rest of the UK. Nevertheless, the legally binding nature of these targets means McAllan must address Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) on how to realign with the goals.
McAllan emphasized the ambitious nature of Scotland’s 2045 net-zero target and the substantial transformations required in areas such as building heat, transport, energy, and agriculture to meet this goal. She highlighted forthcoming legislation, including the Agriculture and Circular Economy Bills, which aims to further reduce emissions.
The planned amendments to the Climate Change Act later this year will formally scrap all remaining annual targets except the 2045 net-zero goal. By then, all residual emissions should be offset by natural or engineered methods like tree planting or direct air capture. The new carbon budgets set for each parliamentary term will align Scotland’s approach with that of the rest of the UK. Environmental groups have criticized this shift. Mike Robinson, chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS), lamented the continued lack of strong climate action from both the Scottish and Westminster governments. He noted that delaying emission reductions increases risks and costs while denying Scots the benefits of improved energy efficiency and air quality. Similarly, Lewis Ryder-Jones of Oxfam Scotland expressed concern that removing annual targets serves as a “convenient smokescreen” to mask inadequate climate action. This ninth failure in 13 years underscores a significant loss of momentum in tackling climate change
