Labour urge climate action amid attack on SNP

Sarwar has said the SNP preaching to developing countries and large polluters about the environment is “rank hypocrisy” due to the SNP’S own failings, labelling it a track record of failure.

His comments come as Scottish Labour call for a new Climate Recovery Plan, claiming that years of missed targets and policy failure from the SNP meant a new plan was required.

Mr Sarwar’s intervention comes on the day as many as 100,000 climate activists are expected to descend on Glasgow to protest the lack of action on the climate emergency as COP26 continues at the SEC in the city.

The party also released a report highlighting the “SNP’S environmental failures”, including the government’s missed targets on reducing annual emissions, which have been missed in the past three years.

Other missed targets include the amount of nonelectrical heat demand being provided by renewable sources, which the government confirmed it had missed last week.

Nicola Sturgeon, who has been attending the globanas al climate change summit throughout the week, has claimed the targets are deliberately tough to meet in order to force quicker action. The First Minister has also claimed Scotland is a “world leader” on the response to climate change.

However, Mr Sarwar said the SNP record “speaks for itself ” and that “too often the reality falls short”.

He said: “Here in Scotland we strive to be world-leaders on the environment, but too often the reality falls short. Nicola Sturgeon will say whatever people want to hear, but the SNP’S record speaks for itself.

“It is rank hypocrisy for her to demand action from others when her own government is falling so woefully short. Sturgeon is right to call on world leaders to do more, but credible action starts at home.”

The Labour leader called on the First Minister to back his party’s climate demands, which includes pressuring large polluters, supporting the most vulnerable, and protecting nature, as well as leading by example on climate issues and forcing public sector procurement to require net zero or 1.5C warming transition plans.