THE Scottish government must use its powers to take “immediate action at pace and scale” if it is to meet its climate targets, independent experts have warned.

In its latest report, the statutory Climate Change Committee (CCC) has called for measures such as a “rapid increase” in the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads and an acceleration of heat pump installation up to 35,000 a year by 2030 to slash carbon emissions, warning ministers:

“Getting to net zero by 2045 will require immediate action, at pace and scale.”

The CCC suggests a pathway of interim goals such as growing the number of homes heated by low-carbon systems like heat pumps to 40 per cent by 2035 and 92 per cent by 2045 — a target it says will mean “annual heat pump installations in existing homes will need to accelerate rapidly, reaching nearly 35,000 by 2030.”

It called on the Scottish government to follow through on its pledge, made after abandoning its interim target of cutting emissions by 75 per cent by 2030, to introduce carbon budgeting and ensure the annual average emission levels are 57 per cent lower than 1990 levels between 2026 and 2030.

This would rise to 69 per cent in 2031-35, 80 per cent between 2036 and 2040, and ultimately to 94 per cent lower for 2041 to 2045.

Interim CCC chairman Professor Piers Forster said: “Scotland’s new system of carbon budgets will help guide the action we need to get to net zero by 2045. 

“We’re delighted to be able to present a good news story about how Scotland can decarbonise.

“But we do need to see action now. The Scottish government has devolved powers to deliver the necessary emissions reductions in key sectors, particularly buildings, surface transport, agriculture and land use. 

“We encourage them to exercise these powers as quickly and fully as possible.”

SNP acting net zero secretary, Gillian Martin, said the Scottish government would “carefully consider the committee’s advice before bringing forward regulations to set carbon budget levels."

“The carbon budgets proposed via secondary legislation must provide an achievable pathway to net zero in 2045 — one which delivers better health outcomes, puts more money in people’s pockets, and leaves no workers behind," she said.