THE UK Government has been urged to turn “warm words” into greater action on the climate emergency by the Scottish Greens after a report highlighted the financial benefits of lowering emissions.
Climate Change Committee (CCC), the UK’s independent climate change advisor, published their seventh Carbon Budget which laid out how the UK Government must take urgent action to meet their legal carbon reduction targets.
The report recommends that the UK Government should aim to cut emissions by 87% by 2040, arguing decarbonisation will deliver major savings for households and enhance UK security.
It added that investing in renewable energy and green technologies will allow the industry to transition from oil and gas while putting the UK on the right path towards its Net Zero goals.
Advisors from the CCC added that investing in reducing emissions would be more cost-effective than previously thought and would help to lower energy bills while improving energy security.
Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie has called on the Labour Government to act now as he said inaction has already cost us with 2024 being the warmest year on record.
He also added that CCC’s report showed that there are benefits to taking climate action, including greatly cutting the cost of living for households, and they are a fraction of what Keir Starmer committed to military spending on Tuesday.
“Tackling the climate crisis is the greatest national priority that all governments must be working towards. But for too long, we’ve seen successive Prime Ministers fail to turn their warm words on climate into real action,” Harvie (below) said.
“Inaction has cost us already. 2024 was the warmest year on record, and we’ve seen natural disasters around the world and in the UK at an increasing rate. For the UK government to consider approving new oil and gas drilling or expanding airports would be simply climate vandalism.
“The advice sets out the huge benefits which will come from climate action, greatly cutting the cost of living for households, and that these benefits can be won at lower cost than previous estimates - a fraction of what Keir Starmer committed to military spending yesterday.
“The CCC is clear that these benefits will only come if action is taken now to reduce carbon emissions in all sectors, including heat, agriculture and especially in transport, which remains one of the biggest polluters in the UK.”
He added: “Rail travel in the UK is amongst the most expensive in Europe, and our infrastructure is still damaged from the brutal Beeching cuts in the 60s. It doesn’t have to be like this.
“With real investment in public transport, we can make it cheaper and accessible to all whilst protecting our planet. With new rail routes, reliable buses and integrated ticketing, we could end the reliance on private cars. This investment in public transport infrastructure would benefit us for decades to come.”
Harvie also called on the SNP to take greater action on the climate emergency as he said their Heat in Buildings Bill and ambitions to cut road traffic are all “missing in action”.
He added that both Labour and SNP need to take “real action” and called on them to stop issuing any new oil and gas licences and invest in the future instead.
“The SNP must also take heed. Specific advice for the Scottish Government will come next, but it's already clear that their energy strategy, their Heat in Buildings Bill, and their plan for cutting road traffic are all missing in action,” Harvie said.
“It’s time for both Labour and the SNP to stand up and take real action to tackle the climate crisis, stop new oil and gas, reject absurd proposals for airport expansions and invest in our future.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the UK Government owes it to current generations to “seize the opportunities” for energy security and lower bills
He said: “I’d like to thank the Climate Change Committee for its advice and hard work. This advice is independent of Government policy, and we will now consider it and respond in due course.
“It is clear that the best route to making Britain energy secure, bringing down bills and creating jobs is by embracing the clean energy transition. This Government’s clean energy superpower mission is about doing so in a way that grows our economy and makes working people better off.
“We owe it to current generations to seize the opportunities for energy security and lower bills, and we owe it to future generations to tackle the existential climate crisis.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We note the Climate Change Committee (CCC) recommendations for the seventh UK carbon budget and will review their recommendations ahead of their carbon budget advice for Scotland in May 2025.”
