Climate campaigners have criticised the Scottish Government after it dropped its target to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.

Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Màiri McAllan announced the policy change in April, saying the target was ‘no longer credible’. The target of reaching net zero emissions by 2045 remains in place, and the Government also unveiled a range of measures aimed at improving progress.

But Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS), a coalition of groups including the Church of Scotland, said dropping the 2030 commitment was an ‘abject failure’ and that the new policy package was ‘wholly inadequate’.

Mike Robinson, Chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS), said: “The fact that Scottish ministers feel they have no choice but to shift Scotland’s climate goal posts is the inevitable and damaging consequence of their abject failure to deliver the speed and depth of climate action needed since the 2030 target was set.

“However, none of us can hide from the realities of climate science and a continued failure to make our fair contribution to retaining a liveable planet would be, as the First Minister himself described it, ‘catastrophic negligence’.

“The lack of sufficient climate action to date represents a major breach of trust with the people of Scotland and communities around the world who have done least to cause the crisis but whose lives and livelihoods are already being destroyed. “

Christian Aid Scotland’s advocacy and policy lead, Andrew Tomlinson said: “Just three years after COP26 in Glasgow, when Scotland showed genuine leadership on global climate justice, it’s a disgrace that the Scottish Government would even consider dropping its 2030 targets. We’re letting down the countries who have contributed the least to the climate crisis but are living through its worst impacts, right now. This is not climate justice, this is not what climate leadership looks like.

“The Scottish Government declared a climate emergency in 2019. Floods, heatwaves, droughts and extreme weather events are a stark reminder of this in the countries where we work around the world. Now more than ever we need urgent action which will deliver the emissions reductions required to stop global warming and accelerate Scotland’s journey towards a just transition.”