SNP’s green dream set to cost £13bn

... and families and businesses will have to pay out to help fund bill

The SNP has estimated that its green crusade will cost £13billion – and will have to be paid for by families, businesses and public bodies.

Ministers last month announced a pledge to cut emissions by 90 per cent by 2050, compared to a previous target of 80 per cent.

But detailed financial projections lodged alongside the legislation have revealed the eye-watering potential cost over the next three decades.

The move to cut emissions is likely to be reliant on phasing out conventional cars and stepping up the expansion of green energy, including onshore wind.

The Scottish Government admits the costs will need to be shared between public bodies, individuals and businesses.

Scottish Tory environment spokesman Donald Cameron said: ‘It’s critically important we try to make Scotland a cleaner and more environmentally-friendly place, and of course that will come at a significant cost.

‘But the sum of £13billion – even when spread over this timescale – should give us all pause for thought.

‘The SNP’s green crusade has to be properly costed and must not be allowed to cripple either the economy nor the finances of hardworking individuals and businesses.’

The Scottish Government set out its new legally binding tougher targets in its Climate Change (emissions Reduction Targets) Scotland Bill published last month.

A financial memorandum for the legislation states future strategies will need to be set out showing how the tougher targets will be achieved.

Although it states that costs will be changeable depending on the type of action taken, the Scottish Government said: ‘Scottish TIMeS [energy system modelling] analysis indicates that the cost of moving from an 80 per cent to 90 per cent greenhouse gas reduction target is estimated to result in an additional system cost of approximately £13billion over the period 2030-2050. Costs are discounted and in 2017 prices.’

The report also says different approaches will lead to different shares of the cost falling on the Government, councils, individuals and businesses.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Our low-carbon transition is well under way, with statistics published last week showing greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland have almost halved since 1990.

‘Now is the right time to raise our ambition, and this needs to be done in a responsible and credible way. That is why the targets we are proposing… are the most ambitious that our independent expert advisers say is feasible at this time.’

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