Scottish Government accelerate plans to tackle climate change

On 3 June 2022, Scottish Government Net Zero Secretary Michael Matheson pledged to maximise the use of public funding to accelerate the delivery of plans aimed at tackling climate change. The Resource Spending Review, published on 31 May 2022 and covering the period from 2023 to 2024, through to 2026 to 2027, commits to increased spending on heat in buildings, active travel and peatland and woodland restoration.

Capital spending on programmes will also increase by over half a billion pounds over the next three years, aimed at speeding up the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience across Scotland. Additionally, the Scottish Government has committed to increasing its efforts towards leveraging private sector investment in the just transition to net zero, in order to make better use of limited public funds.

In key commitments of the Resource Spending Review:

• Up to £75 million per year will be provided to deliver the Heat in Building Strategy, enabling £1.8 billion investment towards targets to decarbonise over a million homes and 50,000 non-domestic buildings by 2030.
• Up to £95 million will be provided towards meeting woodland creation targets of 18,000 by 2024 to 2025.
• £46 million will be provided to introduce the community bus fund and an increase in funding for concessionary travel schemes, as well as investing up to £150 million of resource and capital across the spending review period in active travel, as part of a shift of transport funding in walking, wheeling and cycling, supporting the Scottish Government commitment to cut 20% of car kilometres by 2030.
• Investment of over £12 million in peatland restoration will be made, doubling the current rate and helping achieve the target of 20,000 restorations by 2025 to 2026.
• £4 million of resource spending will be provided, alongside £150 million capital and financial investment, for the North-east and Moray Just Transition Fund.
• Rollout of the agriculture National Test Programme to enhance farmers and crofters’ awareness of their climate performance.

Source: Scottish Government, 3 June 2022