On December 5, 2008 the Scottish Government published the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill.
Bringing forward a Bill is a key commitment for the Scottish Government and places Scotland at the forefront of global efforts to tackle climate change.
The Bill will create a long-term framework that will:
- introduce a statutory target to reduce Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050
- establish an interim target of at least 34 per cent emissions reductions by 2020, rising to at least 42 per cent if the EU commits to 30 per cent reductions by 2020;
- establish a framework of annual targets; and
- include emissions from international aviation and international shipping.
This framework will help build a sustainable future for Scotland. It will contribute to the country's sustainable economic growth by moving the public and private sectors towards a low carbon economy.
The Bill was developed following a public consultation which received over 21,000 responses.
When considering annual targets, Scottish Ministers will take advice from the UK Committee on Climate Change. A formal request will be made to the Committee when the Bill is passed, but in advance of that, Climate Change Minister Stewart Stevenson wrote to the Chief Executive of the Committee on 17 June 2009 to emphasise two issues which he is keen for the Committee to take into account when delivering advice to the Scottish Government.
Follow the progress of the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill through Parliament on the Scottish Parliament Website.