Press Story

Scottish government statistics released today show overall emissions in 2022 were down just 0.1% from 2021, marking the ninth time emissions targets have been missed. Reacting to the statistics, Dave Hawkey, Senior Research Fellow at IPPR Scotland said:

“These figures highlight how significantly off-track Scotland’s climate programme was, even back in 2022. If the warm winter hadn’t cut the need for heating, emissions would have gone up. We’ve mostly decarbonised electricity in Scotland but made barely any headway on how we heat our homes, how we get around or what food we grow and eat, despite the Scottish government declaring a climate emergency.

“We need urgent, concrete policies that accelerate the transition, aiming to complete the job within the next two decades while ensuring a fair distribution of costs. Our research shows this is a great opportunity for Scotland where our industrial base is well placed to pivot to green, particularly manufacturing heat pumps.

“The transition will not happen by itself. We need a clear plan for decarbonising daily life, so people know what change means for them. To make it fair, we’ll need to share the costs as the transition ramps up. Decarbonising daily life is crucial to dealing with climate change and deserves much more public debate than we’ve seen in the election campaign so far.”

ENDS

Dave Hawkey is available for interview

CONTACT

Liam Evans, Senior Digital and Media Officer: 07419 365334 l.evans@ippr.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

IPPR Scotland shapes public policy in pursuit of a fairer, greener, more prosperous Scotland.
IPPR Scotland research finds the Scottish government’s budget to support households switch to clean heat will need to grow to between £600 million and £1 billion this decade. A budget of that size is needed to protect those on the lowest incomes and ensure those with the broadest shoulders bear a fair share of the costs. No home left behind: Funding a just transition to clean heat in Scotland https://www.ippr.org/articles/no-home-left-behind
IPPR research shows the UK is well suited to specialise in manufacturing wind turbines, green transport, and heat pumps, with the latter particularly concentrated in Scotland. Manufacturing matters: The cornerstone of a competitive green economyhttps://www.ippr.org/articles/manufacturing-matters