Your World of Legal Intelligence
 United Kingdom | +44 (0) 20 7284 8080

East Lothian Greens councillor puts emissions target failure at society's door

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date24 April 2024
AuthorMarie Sharp
Publication titleEdinburghLive (Scotland)
Speaking at a meeting of East Lothian Council this week, Councillor Shona McIntosh said the blame for the announcement lay at the feet of everyone

However her comments were dismissed by the council leader who insisted the initial target had been a 'fantasy.'

The Scottish Government announced it was ditching its commitment to reducing greenhouse gases by 75 per cent by 2030. last week but said its long-term target to reach net zero by 2045 remains.

Speaking at a meeting of councillors on Tuesday, Councillor McIntosh said she, like others, had been left 'discombobulated' by the announcement.

She said: "This is a point when Scotland is taking stock and the reasons for the announcement last week is that we have all failed, as a society, to make those changes that we would have needed to do to get that 75 per cent reduction by the end of the decade and we all need to figure out what to do about that."

Councillor McIntosh said that she, and the Greens, were clear that the announcement did not mean 'there is no target".

She said: "It just means we are responding to the fact the climate change committee has said that 75 per cent target is unattainable, but we are still looking very much at how we get to net zero by 2045."

And she said councils had to be ready to play a part in reducing emissions pointing to areas which, she said, had 'flatlined' in recent years including transport and agriculture.

She said: "We have got to be ready and willing to enact bold policies and be ambitious about what we can do to affect all of these sectors and maximise working together with residents, businesses and community groups and with investors as well."

The...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT