Scotland is building a net zero, nature positive future. The Global Climate Emergency and the Nature Emergency are twin reinforcing crises: the actions we take to address each are fundamental to our wellbeing and survival as a species.
Scotland is at the forefront of the journey to reach net zero and halt biodiversity loss by 2045. Reaching net zero means taking on the challenges of decarbonisation. Changing how we travel, how we heat our homes, and the sustainability of our food supplies are all vital.
We’re already halfway there in our journey to net zero – and that journey brings opportunities. Since 1990 we have both grown our economy and cut our greenhouse gas emission by half. We’re demonstrating that a thriving economy and falling emissions are not just compatible but can support each other.
Scotland is working closely with other nations to do all we can. We are accelerating the development of renewables and low carbon energy. Our universities are leading pioneering climate change research, and our businesses are training our workforce to thrive in the world’s emerging sustainable industries. Our commitment to equality and social justice means we are working to support countries and communities most affected by climate change through our Climate Justice Fund (gov.scot)
We were proud to welcome world leaders to the UN Climate Summit COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, and in 2022 Scotland played an instrumental role at COP27 in encouraging other countries to join us in the creation of a Loss and Damage fund. The focus is now on action, and Scotland will play its part at COP30 in Brazil.
For further information on the global climate emergency, how this relates to Scotland, and the actions that we can all take to reduce our emissions, visit Net Zero Nation (netzeronation.scot)
Global Climate Justice
Climate change projects around the world have presented us with unique opportunities to support and collaborate with other countries. Internationally, Scotland has led the way in putting Climate Justice at the heart of our overseas action. Our Climate Justice Fund launched in 2012 with £12m to support some of the world’s most vulnerable people in becoming more resilient to climate change. In 2021, the Fund was tripled, committing £36m to be spent over the following parliamentary term.
At COP26 the same year, Scotland pledged £2m of the Fund to address loss and damage as a result of climate change. One year on, at COP27, the then First Minister dedicated a further £5m, committed to specifically addressing non-economic and slow-onset loss and damage. With Malawi, Zambia and Rwanda, Bangladesh and island nations in the Pacific, we are focussing on community-led action, supporting them to become more resilient to climate impacts.
Scotland also helped establish the Wellbeing Economy Governments (gov.scot) group, an initiative where countries work together to develop sustainability, prosperity and resilience in their economies. Additionally, Scotland sits as one of five co-chairs of the Under2 Coalition (theclimategroup.org), committed to ambitious climate action to limit global temperature rises.
Participating in global actions has given Scotland the chance to help deliver lasting change. We know there is more that we can do and will continue to work with communities around the world to come together and tackle the big challenges.
Renewable Energies
Scotland is renowned as a pioneer of renewables and has made excellent progress in renewable electricity generation. We’ve set a target for 2030 for the equivalent of 50% of the energy for Scotland's heat, transport and electricity use to come from renewable sources.
We continue to monitor progress being made in renewable electricity generation, with 91.2% coming from zero or low carbon sources in 2023. This is a huge achievement that is fundamental for the decarbonisation of our economy and society.
Scotland is home to the world’s first floating windfarm - Hywind Scotland (Equinor.com), and the world's largest floating windfarm – Kincardine (principlepower.com), operating just south of Aberdeen. Combined, both projects generate enough renewable energy to power around 71,000 homes.
Alongside a number of tidal energy projects, Scotland has deployed the world’s first fully-operational offshore tidal array with Nova Innovation (novainnovation.com) and the world’s most powerful tidal turbine with Orbital Marine Power (orbitalmarine.com)
Scotland also hosts a number of hydrogen energy projects, which are shaping a greener future. These include the world’s first domestic hydrogen heat network, hydrogen bus fleets, and the world’s first hydrogen production from tidal energy in Orkney.
Just Transition
A just transition is about making sure that, as we reduce our emissions and respond to a changing climate, the journey is fair and creates a better future for everyone - regardless of where they live, what they do, and who they are.
We are committed to ensuring Scotland continues to capitalise in a sustainable way the just transition to net zero - providing jobs, benefiting communities and supporting economic growth.
Our National Transition Training Fund was set up to support and provide training to individuals aged 25+ who had been made unemployed or were threatened with redundancy. And through academic and business collaborations, we are supporting the Green Investment Portfolio (sdi.co.uk) to put Scotland’s investment-ready green projects in the spotlight. Our £62m Energy Transition Fund helps businesses in the oil, gas, and energy sectors adapt to meet the challenge of net-zero.
A crucial part of a just transition is about supporting workers and affected communities as we plan the move away from carbon-intensive industries. Our goal is to make the economy work for everyone, so no one is left behind, whilst protecting our planet. This means the creation of good, green jobs to support this change, with everyone playing their part in creating a fairer and more sustainable society for all.
The Power of Nature
With its diverse natural landscapes, alongside habitats supporting thousands of plant and animal species, Scotland is uniquely positioned to lead the charge in combating climate change. As part of our biodiversity commitments, we have increased woodland creation targets to 18,000 hectares per year by 2024/25, with a vision to expand Scotland's woodlands to cover 21% of the nation's land area by 2032.
We are also making good progress on restoring 250,000 hectares of degraded and drained peatland back to functioning ecosystems. This reduces the carbon that peatlands release and enables them to once again absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Not only do restored peatlands act as natural carbon capture and storage systems, they also benefit wildlife such as dragonflies and birds, can help reduce the risk of flooding and wildfire and can improve the quality of water in our burns, rivers and lochs.
In 2019, the Scottish Government was invited by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to lead a consultation with sub-national bodies on their role in addressing the biodiversity crisis.
This culminated in the Edinburgh Declaration which called for a dedicated decision and a renewed Plan of Action on Subnational Governments. Over 300 sub-national governments signed the Declaration, which was subsequently adopted by the Convention at their CoP15 meeting in December 2022 – recognising for the first time the role of local, regional and sub-state authorities in taking vital action for biodiversity.
We are continuing to raise the international profile of the localised action we are taking in Scotland, through our memberships of Regions4 and the CBD Advisory Committee for Subnational Government.
Our ambitious new Scottish biodiversity strategy to 2045 (gov.scot) sets out goals to halt nature loss by 2030 and reverse it by 2045, and a long-term vision of what our natural environment needs to look like in 2045 in order to reverse biodiversity decline. The strategy is supported by the first in a series of rolling delivery plans, the Scottish biodiversity delivery plan 2024-2030 (gov.scot). Alongside statutory targets for nature conservation, these publications form our strategic framework for biodiversity. We are also committed to expanding and improving areas managed for nature, including protected areas, with an ambitious commitment to protect 30% of our land for nature by 2030 - also a key target in the new Global Biodiversity Framework.