This was originally published in The National here
Climate groups have slammed the Scottish Government’s “flimsy” draft climate plan, demanding a “substantial overhaul” by ministers to ensure it sets out a credible route to cutting pollution in line with national commitments.
The call comes as a public consultation on Scotland’s draft Climate Change Plan (CCP), the country’s routemap to net zero, comes to a close (29 Jan).
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, a campaign coalition representing more than 70 groups from across civil society, said the draft Climate Change Plan (CCP) published last November is “woefully inadequate”, in particular across the two most polluting sectors – agriculture and transport. They say the plan is also desperately over-reliant on emission cuts flowing from unproven carbon capture technology to try to make the plan add up.
Campaigners say the current plan misses “a golden opportunity” to improve lives and bring down climate emissions through far greater investment in insulating people’s homes and boosting public transport across the country.
Measures intended to transform the most polluting sector, transport, are disproportionately focused on switching petrol and diesel vehicles over to electric, while failing to promote cheaper and more reliable public transport.
Dr Mike Robinson, chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, said:
“We’ve been waiting for a plan showing how the government proposes to tackle climate change for a long time, so the fact it is still so vague is utterly inadequate.
“There is a lack of urgency and ambition throughout, and too much emphasis on long-term unproven schemes like negative emissions technologies and carbon capture, and not enough on meaningful shorter-term measures and action.”
Becky Kenton-Lake, coalition manager for Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, added:
“With this flimsy climate plan, ministers are passing up a golden opportunity to improve the lives of people across Scotland.
“Transformative climate action would see dramatically more investment in warmer homes to bring down fuel poverty, better buses to connect people to work and education opportunities, dedicated support for eco-friendly farming methods and a serious strategy to create green jobs in the industries we need for the future.”
She added: “As it stands, this plan is woefully inadequate to deliver the positive changes needed.
“It is riddled with vague commitments, a lack of clear timelines and very few new ideas.
“There must be a substantial overhaul of the plan to avoid a repeat of the recent debacle of ministers having to scrap climate commitments as a result of inadequate action.
“Our message to MSPs is: eyes down, lock in, let’s strengthen the final plan and get this critically important work done.”
Member groups have warned that the new climate plan for 2026-2040 risks repeating the same mistakes that have barely reduced climate pollution from agriculture and failed to help farmers to adapt over the past 20 years of efforts.
Claire Daly, head of policy and advocacy at WWF Scotland, said:
“Agriculture remains one of Scotland’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters, and sadly this weak plan lacks any meaningful measures to reduce it.
“We desperately need bold decisions to transform Scottish agriculture in a way that works for farmers and the planet.
“This includes changing how we fund farming that is good for nature, and changing how we manage livestock. However, this important issue fails to even get a mention in the plan.
“Instead of robust measures, ministers are putting their faith in new farm machinery technology that will be unaffordable to many, alongside a vague commitment to ‘investigate’ better fertilisers.
“All in all, this plan fails farmers and communities.”
Campaigners also highlighted ministers’ “delusional” backing for carbon capture and storage technology, which – despite no working facilities in Scotland – will be expected to prevent the release of the equivalent of one third of all Scottish emissions by 2040.
This has become an even bigger gamble after the lead developer of Scotland’s Acorn carbon capture project announced in December 2025 it was pulling out – even after a promised handout of more than £280 million of public money.
When the Scottish Government updated its previous climate plan in 2020, Holyrood committees warned ministers about over-reliance on carbon capture technologies, which have a long history of failure, urging them to have a Plan B in case development did not progress.
Rosie Hampton, Friends of the Earth Scotland oil and gas campaigns manager, said:
“It is delusional for ministers to rely on carbon capture technology to deliver the level of emissions cuts required within a decade. There is no working plant in Scotland and even the chief developer of the highest-profile project is now ditching this dodgy scheme.
“Carbon capture has always been a greenwashing scam peddled by the oil industry, yet Scottish ministers refuse to see the evidence before their eyes.
“Our energy future should be built on renewable power that is clean and affordable for the public. Workers deserve good, secure jobs, something the fantasy of carbon capture has never and will never provide.”