OPEN LETTER TO THE FIRST MINISTER

Dear First Minister As a diverse group of organisations who together represent over one million people in Scotland and communities across the world, we wish to express our deep concern about the recent Climate Change Committee (CCC) report which said Scotland’s climate targets are “no longer credible”. We call on you to make an emergency statement to the Scottish Parliament to set out your response.

Our concerns about Scotland’s climate commitments have been building for a number of years, following policy delays, missed targets and insufficient efforts to deliver action. Alongside this, our dependency on oil and gas has led to spiralling household bills and climate induced extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and deadly, both at home and across the world.

People in Scotland are greatly concerned about the climate crisis, and want action to secure decent green jobs, warmer homes, cleaner air and to restore nature. By accelerating policies in development, committing to bold new actions, and fairly transitioning away from polluting activities, we will see benefits for families, communities and workers across Scotland – and it is urgent change in this decade that really counts.

We need all governments to fairly raise the funds needed to invest in faster climate action while redirecting the huge amount of public spending that is still going into climate-damaging investments.

We urge you not to further delay meaningful action, or weaken ambition to reduce emissions, in the face of the greatest threat facing us. To do so would fail current and future generations, both here in Scotland and around the world, and mean we miss out on the huge benefits of a transition to a zero carbon, fairer Scotland.

Delivering on our climate ambitions also means we stand up for communities around the world, who are suffering the devastating impacts now, of a crisis they did not cause. Every missed target and delay means more losses and damages. The Scottish Government has positioned itself as a climate leader: now is a real test of how deep that commitment truly goes.

The CCC’S report must be a wake up call. Every part of the government must shift onto emergency footing, redouble efforts to fairly reduce emissions and show that you are serious about tackling this crisis.

We look forward to your response.