SCOTLAND’S climate emissions have reduced but progress has continued to slow, prompting environmental campaigners to urge ministers to take action.
The amount of greenhouse gases produced by Scotland in 2024 fell by 1% compared to the previous year. It is almost half of the reduction seen in 2023 when emissions fell by 1.9%.
Since 1990, Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by more than half (50.5%), with all sectors except international aviation and shipping falling over this time.
Gillian Martin, Climate Action Secretary, said the Scottish Government had to “accelerate” the reduction in greenhouse gases.
Overall, Scotland produced an estimated 39.0 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) from the seven greenhouse gases in 2024 – a reduction of 0.4 MtCO2e from the year before.
Most parts of the economy showed modest reductions in emissions, with industry seeing the largest at 0.3 MtCO2e due to a reduction in fuel use.
International aviation and shipping increased by 0.2 MtCO2e and have now returned to pre-Covid levels.
Domestic transport and buildings also showed slight increases in the latest year. All other sectors showed slightly reduced emissions.
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS), which represents 70 civil organisations, said the figures were “stark confirmation” that action to tackle climate change has been “nowhere near strong enough or fast enough”.
Fraser Sutherland, the group’s coalition manager, said: “Climate change is already affecting people’s health and well-being, livelihoods and financial stability in Scotland, with more frequent storms, floods, droughts and wildfires wreaking havoc across the country.”
He added: “The clock is ticking if we want to halt the worst effects of planetary warming but there is still time. The new Scottish Government must now make climate action a priority.”
Claire Daly, head of policy and advocacy at SCCS member group WWF Scotland, said the statistics showed “yet again the lack of meaningful progress by the Scottish Government in getting to grips with cutting climate emissions”.
“We need more than just incremental steps. We need real action and real delivery,” she said.
Friends of the Earth (FoE) Scotland’s Catrina Randall said the “meagre” reduction figures were a “missed opportunity” to improve the lives of Scots.
She said: “They mean ministers have failed to help more people move around by public transport and failed to fix homes so that they aren’t leaking energy and costing a fortune in bills.
“A meagre 1% change makes clear that the Scottish Government have not been treating dangerous planetary heating with either the urgency or the energy it requires.
“The new Parliament is an opportunity to recommit to climate solutions and deliver transformative action that can tackle the cost of living, boost our health and create long-term green jobs.”
Meanwhile, separate statistics released by the Scottish Government show Scotland’s carbon footprint between 2021 and 2022 increased by 1.6% from 60.0 to 61.0 MtCO2e.
These figures provide estimates of the country’s emissions associated with the spending of Scottish residents on goods and services, wherever in the world these emissions arise, together with emissions directly generated by Scottish households.
Between 1998 and 2022, Scotland’s carbon footprint fell by 17.5% from 73.9 MtCO2e in 1998 to 61.0 MtCO2e in 2022.
Oxfam Scotland urged the Scottish Government to implement the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024, enhance recycling and urging Scots to switch to second-hand shopping, including for clothes, to cut waste and missions.
Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “Scotland’s rising consumption emissions are a warning light the Scottish Government can no longer ignore.
“Scotland cannot claim credit for marginally reducing overall emissions generated here while the pollution linked to the goods and services we consume from overseas continues to head in entirely the wrong direction. We would be cutting overall emissions far faster if we got a grip on consumption too.
“This new Parliament must mark the end of climate delay and drift.”
The Climate Action Secretary said: “While progress is being made, that transition must accelerate because climate action is not just about weather events, it is about making people’s lives better.
“Our recent climate change plan set out £42.3 billion in direct financial benefits for Scotland, with the thriving net-zero economy currently supporting around 105,000 jobs. It will also provide significant wider impacts, from warmer homes to better air quality and improved health outcomes.”
