Scotland on course to miss ‘ambitious’ emissions goals without policy shakeup, Climate Change Committee says

‘Too much carrot and not enough stick’ means Scotland is failing to rein in greenhouse gases, writes Harry Cockburn

A Tesla electric car drives through the snowy streets of Edinburgh. The Scottish government is rolling out more charging points but also encouraging fewer car journeys (Getty)

The Climate Change Committee,  which advises the UK government, has said that Scotland’s targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions are “fantastic” but that the country is unlikely to achieve them.

The Scottish government has set out a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2045, which includes a 2030 target to reach a 75 per cent reduction from 1990s levels of emissions.

The CCC’s chief executive Chris Stark said this interim target would be “very, very difficult to meet,” without a major policy shakeup over the next decade.