The Climate Change Plan (CCP) is a strategy document which outlines how the Scottish Government intends to meet emissions reduction targets across all portfolio areas and sectors of the economy. These targets have been agreed by Parliament in three pieces of legislation in 2009, 2019 and 2024.

Read the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009

Read the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019

Read the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2024

The last full CCP was in 2018, so this will be the first time the Scottish Parliament has considered a statutory draft CCP since the 2019 and 2024 Acts. (The CCP “update” in 2020 was non-statutory.)

The Climate Act of 2019 has set some new requirements for the next CCP, including that it must set out the costs and benefits of policies, whilst taking into consideration the principles of a Just Transition - that the switch to net zero should reduce not increase social injustice.

This CCP will cover the period 2026-2040, as Scotland looks to be “net zero” in carbon emissions by 2045. Net Zero is the point when emissions entering the atmosphere are balanced by removals out of the atmosphere. In doing so, it will seek to meet reduction targets for this period, based, on advice from the independent Climate Change Committee.

Read the advice from the independent Climate Change Committee

The Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee are currently scrutinising regulations which will set five-year carbon budgets - limits on the amount of greenhouse gas which can legally be emitted over a given time. Alongside the carbon budget setting regulations, the Scottish Government published a statement, which sets out in indicative terms, the policies and proposals that can be expected in the upcoming CCP.

If Parliament approves the regulations, the Scottish Government then has two months to lay a draft CCP, which they must publish and lay in Parliament for consideration by committees. Scottish Parliament Committees will then have 120 days to scrutinise and report on the draft CCP.

Several Scottish Parliament Committees are likely to be involved in the scrutiny of the draft CCP, reflecting the breadth of issues covered by the Plan. However, the Net Zero, Energy and Transport (NZET) Committee will lead and coordinate the cross-committee scrutiny of the draft Plan.