Nicola Sturgeon has urged Westminster to match the Scottish government’s ambition on tackling climate change.
At the launch of the Scottish Nationalist Party’s campaign for next month’s general election, Scotland’s first minister said its campaign would demand “real action on climate change”.
She said this would include demanding that “the UK goes further and faster and matches the scale of Scotland’s world leading ambitions”.
“Scotland is a world leader in renewable energy and the fight against climate change.
“We’re on a path to becoming a zero emissions country five years ahead of the rest of the UK and we’re making our voice and our values heard in Europe and on the international stage.”
The Scottish government has committed to cutting emissions north of the border to net zero by 2045, five years ahead of the UK-wide target.
Sturgeon’s speech follows the publication by Scottish Renewables of its manifesto for the upcoming general election.
In the document, the Scottish renewables industry pressure group urges Ofgem to be equipped with regulatory powers to enable investment in low-carbon infrastructure
It also says the government should take account of UK and Scottish climate targets in any future national or regional infrastructure investment packages and review its plans accordingly.
The six point manifesto calls on the next government to reform the Contracts for Difference process by bringing forward pot 1 auctions for onshore wind and solar “as soon as possible” and creating ring-fenced support for early-stage technologies.
The government should also establish innovative revenue support mechanisms for Scotland’s “world-leading” wave, tidal and floating wind sectors.
And there should be ‘swift action’ to provide more support for small-scale renewable energy sector following the scrapping of the Feed in Tariff scheme earlier this year.
The closure of the FiT and its replacement by the “inadequate” Smart Export Guarantee scheme has made it “very difficult” for Scotland’s communities and companies to finance small-scheme renewable energy projects, the manifesto claims.
Claire Mack, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “The renewable energy sector has gigawatts of shovel-ready projects waiting which would deliver and protect thousands of jobs and billions of pounds in socioeconomic benefits, as well as displacing millions of tonnes of carbon emissions.”