Scotland 'missed emissions targets but still on track for 2020'

Scotland has missed its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the third year running, prompting the appointment of a ministerial taskforce. Paul Wheelhouse, Scotland's climate change minister, announced the new step following the consistently missed targets but is still positive the 2020 goal will be reached.

The new cabinet sub committee will work towards ensuring all responses to emissions are coordinated in order to get the best result. This could help get Scotland back on track towards its 2020 targets following the slight increase in emissions during 2012.

In contrast to the general downward trend of the rest of the UK, in 2012, Scotland experienced a rise of 0.8 per cent in greenhouse gas levels. The target for the year was 53.226 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e); however, the country actually saw emissions reach 55.6 MtCO2e. This increase was partially attributed to the economic recovery that started in 2012.

According to Mr Wheelhouse, the sub-committee will work well alongside the Scottish government's Climate Change Delivery Board and the new Public Sector Climate Leaders' Forum. Together, these taskforces will help to tackle the issue of Climate Change and drive Scotland's emissions down.

The minister said: “The membership of the sub-committee will include the deputy first minister, two other cabinet secretaries and a range of government ministers, further highlighting the importance of a cross-government approach on this crucial global issue. It is a further example of how Scotland is giving a leading example on tackling climate change.” 

While previous years have seen Scotland fail to meet targets, new figures have found that it is ahead of the rest of the UK when it comes to tackling climate change. This suggests that the country's high investment in green technologies and renewable power is helping to put it ahead of other administrations in the UK in terms of reducing its carbon footprint.