The Scottish Wildlife Trust welcomes Scotland’s Draft Climate Change Plan 2026-2040 (CCP), but with caveats.
We are encouraged by the fundamental recognition that climate and nature must be addressed together to deliver long-term resilience. Acknowledging that reversing biodiversity loss is essential to climate stability – and that our economy is embedded within the natural environment – is an important step forward.
We also commend the Government’s commitment to investing in nature-based solutions to help reverse nature decline and restore biodiversity – and we look forward to holding the Government to account on this.
Despite this positive rhetoric, far greater ambition is needed in the agriculture sector specifically. Policies must go further to drive meaningful change in agriculture emissions, which remains one of the most significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity decline. We urge the Government to accelerate reform in agriculture policy and provide farmers more financial support to deliver for climate, nature, and rural communities. This presents the perfect opportunity for the Government to show movement from talking the talk to walking the walk.
Regarding Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry, we feel targets would benefit from further ambition through the 2030s. This is another area where nature-based solutions can play a pivotal role, particularly with regards to reducing flooding, improving water quality and reducing the severity of wildfires. The CCP notes the potential of co-benefits for adaptation and emissions reductions with peatland restoration delivering on water retention and flood risk while also preventing the release of stored carbon – demonstrating the important role of nature restoration in addressing the climate emergency.
Posted On: 07/11/2025
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