The UK Climate Change Act 2008 established an independent body, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), to provide advice to the UK Government and Devolved Administrations.
Part 2 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 contains provisions which allow the Scottish Ministers to establish a Scottish Committee on Climate Change or to designate an existing body to exercise advisory functions should it be decided that this is appropriate.
The source of advice to the Scottish Ministers may change over time so, rather than naming a specific organisation, the 2009 Act uses the terms "relevant body" and "advisory body" when referring to the source of advice. Unless and until a Scottish "advisory body" is designated by the Scottish Ministers under section 24 of the Act, the UK Committee on Climate Change will be the "relevant body" by virtue of section 5(7) of the Act and, will therefore be the statutory source of climate change advice to the Scottish Ministers.
Advice to the Scottish Ministers
The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 contains provisions requiring that the Scottish Ministers seek advice prior to taking certain actions, such as bringing forward draft secondary legislation to set annual emissions reduction targets.
The following links provide access to the Scottish Government's requests for advice and the responses provided by the CCC:
- Letter from Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, to David Kennedy, Chief Executive of the Committee on Climate Change, to provide formal early notice of particular issues that the Scottish Ministers were keen for the CCC to take into account when giving advice to the Scottish Government (June 17, 2009).
- Letter from Mr Stevenson, following Royal Assent of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act, to Lord Turner, Chair of the Committee on Climate Change, requesting advice on Scotland's emissions targets for 2010-2022 and associated matters (August 31, 2009); and response from Lord Turner (September 18, 2009)
- Letter from Lord Turner to Mr. Stevenson covering advice to the Scottish Ministers on the 2020 interim target and the first batch of annual targets (February 24, 2010).
- Letter from Lord Turner to Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, providing advice on a fair and safe cumulative emissions budget for 2010-2050 (January 31, 2011).
- Letter from Roseanna Cunningham to Lord Turner requesting advice on Scotland's emissions targets for 2023-2027 and associated matters (1 March 2011).
- Letter from Lord Turner to Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, providing advice on Scotland's emissions targets for 2023-2027 and the limit that must be set on carbon unit use to offset emissions in 2013-2017 (July 1, 2011).
- Letter from the Committee on Climate Change providing additional information in relation to the 2023-2027 annual targets advice (August 1, 2011).
- Letter from Lord Turner to Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change covering the Committee on Climate Change report, "Reducing Emissions in Scotland - 1st progress report" (31 January 2012).
- Letter from Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change to Lord Turner in response to the Committee on Climate Change report, "Reducing Emissions in Scotland - 1st progress report" (31 January 2012).
Further information about the Committee on Climate Change, including all of its reports and advice to the UK Government and Devolved Administrations, is available on the CCC website.