In response to the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, Mike Robinson, Chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) said:
“With numerous climate policies recently scrapped or delayed, this Programme for Government was a critical test of whether the Scottish Government is serious about delivering meaningful climate action in this final year ahead of the elections in 2026. Unfortunately, it’s a case of too little, too slowly.”
“Permanently scrapping peak rail fares is a very positive step and it is welcome that Scottish Ministers’ have revisited their misguided decision to re-impose them last year.”
“There is an ongoing commitment to the Heat in Buildings Bill with targets for installing clean heating systems, but with the legislation already overdue and watered-down, major questions remain over how it will accelerate the positive impacts on our health, bills and planet that are so urgently needed.”
“Meanwhile, time is rapidly running out to deliver on a series of other critical commitments which have been promised for some time, including to increase native woodland creation and restore peatlands.”
“Ultimately, the time for promises of action is past, we urgently need to accelerate the speed of delivery, including by doing more to ensure we make polluters – like those who choose to travel by private jets – pay for their climate damage.”
“We are also very concerned that the First Minister is putting increasing reliance and public funds towards unproven carbon capture and hydrogen technologies, instead of cutting emissions and moving away from our dependence on volatile fossil fuel markets.”
“All MSPs must now heed the calls of the many people who have signed our recent petition urging faster climate action and the majority of the public that we know support this.”
Rosie Heptonstall, a mother of two who works with Parents for Future Scotland – one of SCCS’s 73 members – said:
“We need to improve standards of living for everyone, whether that’s by reducing the bills families pay or by improving the air our children breathe. And we can’t do this without moving away from fossil fuels.”
“In January this year we had a storm which closed schools – that’s never happened in my lifetime. That extreme weather affected children’s education, and parents’ jobs. That’s why it’s absolutely essential to have ambitious climate targets and to be working towards them, not just for our future but for the future of our children as well.”
Notes to Editors
- Stop Climate Chaos Scotland’s proposals for the Programme for Government: https://www.stopclimatechaos.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Proposals-for-inclusion-in-2025_26-Programme-for-Government-Stop-Climate-Chaos-Scotland-.pdf