Scottish Government publishes update to Climate Change Plan, accelerates energy efficiency plans
Document sets out the government's plan to reach net zero by 2045.
BLog by SFHA Senior Policy Manager Stacey Dingwall.
The Scottish Government has published an update to its Climate Change Plan. The 255-page document includes more than 100 new policies and proposals which aim to support Scotland’s green recovery from the pandemic and help deliver a ‘just transition’ to net zero. They form part of the overall Climate Change Plan 2018 – 2032, which has been updated to reflect the ambitious framework of climate targets as enshrined in Scotland’s Climate Change Act 2019.
Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham described Scotland’s targets as the “most ambitious climate legislation in the world”, noting the 2030 target of 75% reduction “goes beyond” what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said is needed globally to prevent warming of more than 1.5 degrees. As a result, Ms Cunningham said that the plan is therefore “rightly ambitious and extremely stretching”.
Making rapid progress to achieve net zero carbon housing across all tenures in that timescale will be a key part of this. SFHA was involved in discussions with the Scottish Government in advance of the plan’s publication, and the government has acknowledged this will have significant implications for the housing sector. In particular, the plan includes an intention to bring forwards the review of the EESSH2 to 2023.
We know the scale of investment required to meet the previous timescale for EESSH2 was already posing a significant challenge for members, and the Scottish Government has acknowledged this as well. It is keen to discuss with SFHA and our members what this will mean and how it will influence local and national planning going forwards. This dialogue will commence early in the new year, with a roundtable involving a group of SFHA members and officials leading on this work. The SFHA Policy Team will also have regular meetings with senior civil servants to represent members’ interests in this area, and a senior Scottish Government official will participate in a session at our Climate and Sustainability Conference, on 4 February, to discuss the implications and opportunities contained within the plan for the sector.
In the meantime, we would encourage as many members as possible to participate in the survey circulated as part of our EESSH2 research project with Changeworks, which will provide valuable evidence for our discussions with government. If you would like to discuss anything related to this policy agenda, please contact me at sdingwall@sfha.co.uk