CCC Scotland progress report: comment

"Reaching net zero emissions is scientifically the only way the world can bring balance back to our climate and stop climate change. We're already seeing climate impacts like more flooding, storms and heatwaves across Scotland, which is impacting people's lives and livelihoods, with some of Scotland's most important farming areas getting over 200% of the normal rainfall in January. [2] 

"Scottish renewables are helping to boost energy security and lower bills - with wind power bringing the wholesale electricity price down by around a quarter last year [3] - while ensuring that we have more clean power on the path to net zero. But while progress has been made on power, other sectors like heating are falling behind; electric heat pumps are a crucial net zero technology that will increasingly be powered off our homegrown renewables while the North Sea continues its inevitable decline, meaning that gas boilers will increasingly be fuelled from abroad. 
 
"As we pass the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, analysis shows that the cost of the energy crisis to the Scottish economy is estimated to have been £11 billion. [4] Reaching net zero is the best way to shield Scottish households and industry from the whims of foreign actors like Trump and Putin and volatile oil and gas prices.” 

Commenting on carbon removal, Tom Cantillon, Senior Analyst, Carbon and Land at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: "Scotland has long led the way on planting trees and restoring peatland in the UK, helping to take carbon back out of the atmosphere to reach net zero emissions and so bring the climate back into balance. But today's progress report emphasises this progress is fragile. Record peatland restoration last year shows what can be done when policy and ambition align, while the almost halving of tree planting rates after a cut to the Forestry Grant Scheme should serve as a cautionary tale. With Scotland's land having shifted from a carbon sink to a source in recent years, stop-start funding is a luxury the climate can't afford.

"The draft climate plan's heavy reliance on engineered carbon removal technology from the 2030s onwards is merely aspirational if the policies aren't in place to support it. These technologies could bring skilled industrial jobs to communities like Grangemouth, but only with a clear delivery plan. This, alongside greater coordination between Edinburgh and Westminster, is required to turn this reliance from risk to reality."