Oxfam Scotland welcomes publication of the Plan, which outlines the policies and actions which the Scottish Government believes will deliver emission cuts consistent with ending Scotland’s net impact on the climate by 2045.
The Scottish Parliament now begins a crucial 120-day scrutiny period.
Oxfam Scotland says that, alongside testing whether the Plan will achieve the emission cuts needed, this scrutiny period must fully stress-test the fairness of the Plan.
With clear evidence that, on average, the richer you are the more you pollute, campaigners say that fairness must be central to the final Plan – including how faster action is paid for.
While recognising that the costs of inaction will be even higher, the Scottish Government estimates the price tag of delivering the Plan, once savings generated are taken into account, to be £4.8 billion, but says little about where the money will come from.
Oxfam Scotland says the upcoming Scottish Budget and multi-year Spending Review must prove that the Scottish Government is serious about funding the Plan fairly
It comes as the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, Gillian Martin MSP, prepares to travel to Belém in Brazil to attend the UN climate talks, COP30.
Responding, Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “A liveable planet is priceless so Scotland’s new Climate Plan must make an unwavering investment in all our futures, giving us: cleaner air, healthier lives, stable, green jobs and shielding us from extreme weather. However, right now, the roadmap on how Scottish Ministers plan to pay for their policy ambitions is little more than a sketch. To succeed, this Plan must be backed by major new public funding, delivered fairly with the biggest polluters and the better off footing the bill. It’s time Ministers were straight about where the pounds behind their promises to stop pumping out pollution will come from: Ministers need to show us the money.”
/ENDS
For more information and interviews, please contact: Rebecca Lozza, Media and Communications Adviser, Oxfam Scotland: rlozza1@oxfam.org.uk / 07917738450
