THIS week the Scottish Parliament will debate the long-awaited bill to change yearly emissions targets to five-year carbon budgets.
The move comes after the Scottish Government dramatically ditched their 2030 climate targets in April this year.
This moment is a marker of failure for an SNP government that triumphantly declared themselves climate leaders just five years ago. Despite leading the way on calling out these issues as the emergencies they are, when looking at what the SNP have actually done in office, we find ourselves no further forward on tackling the climate crisis.
In fact, this government seems to be moving closer to fossil fuels, not away from them. How have we got here? And what does this mean for Scotland’s commitment to climate action?
In 2019 the Scottish Parliament targets that genuinely reflected the demands of climate scientists for the deep, rapid emissions cuts needed to avert the worst climate disaster scenarios.
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Nicola Sturgeon, then leader of the SNP and First Minister, declared a climate emergency, and in the same breath, declared Scotland “climate leaders”. The only problem was: there were no real plans to meet the targets.
The targets were supposed to be a monumental shift in priority, resources, and action by the Government and Parliament – a response in proportion to the crises we are facing. Instead, dealing with a complete lack of ambition, Scotland found itself falling behind every year. In 2024, the Scottish Government, under Humza Yousaf, failed to hit 9 of their 13 targets to reduce emissions, leading to the dropping of the 2030 targets in April.
Under the leadership of Swinney and Forbes, the Scottish Government has gone even further backwards.
The SNP has weakened its stance on new fossil fuels, moved away from sustainable transport by hiking train fares and slashed funding for environmental restoration schemes. Meanwhile, the £4 billion budget for three road expansion schemes has remained intact. I unfortunately don’t find this surprising.
The truth of the matter is this. A new iteration of these targets won’t change anything. Whether the SNP focus on five yearly budgets or yearly reduction in carbon emissions targets, the Scottish Government has proven itself as completely unserious about the climate crisis.
The good publicity they received five years ago by calling themselves climate leaders no longer holds. They are ready to move on to the next issue, seemingly with no issue with the fact that they have failed to deliver on their promises.
But we need to keep focused on the fact that the multiple crises we are facing today in Scotland are interlinked. And to ensure warm homes, lower energy bills, clean air, and a liveable future – we need real action from our government, and an end to empty targets.
If the SNP want to regain credibility on tackling the climate crisis and protecting Scotland’s future, they need to be honest about the work needed to be done, and be open about the benefits these actions can create.
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A wealth tax, implemented at UK level, could see billions of pounds unlocked to invest in green energy. This is already popular across the UK, and the SNP party voted at last month’s conference in favour of a wealth tax.
A green jobs guarantee ensures that those who want to work in the green economy can do so. Those workers who are currently working in oil and gas should be able to retrain for free, and move into future-proof careers that will not disappear as soon as the fossil fuel companies decide they are no longer profitable (Grangemouth).
If we truly revitalise our public transport system by removing peak fares once and for all we can see increased train use and more money in the pockets of working people.
Finally, we should stop selling our natural resources to multinational corporations that will only profit off our energy. The SNP talk about our renewable potential as Scotland’s Energy. On this I agree with them, it is Scotland’s energy. It’s not the SNP’s to sell off for a quick payday.
The truth is, these climate targets were brought in not because of the Scottish government’s climate leadership, or because the SNP are serious about our future. These targets were the result of countless young people and campaigners demanding action to secure a liveable future in which we can thrive.
Today is the same; there are campaigns across the country, from communities in the north east to the south west, demanding action on climate, demanding a resetting of the social contract, and imagining another path we can take. This path is achievable, and it is possible. The SNP just need to join us. If they really did speak for Scotland, they would.
Calum Hodgson is the Scotland Campaigner for Green New Deal UK
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