The Scottish Government has today (Sept 4) announced that they will be investing another £500m, bringing the total to £1.6bn, in order to ensure their green recovery achieves targets of carbon net neutrality.
The Scottish government has committed to net neutrality by 2045, 5 years before the rest of the UK.
Scotland aims to achieve this by investing in transforming the energy efficiency of thousands of homes across Scotland to ensure that energy isn’t being wasted in households.
£150m is also being invested in increasing woodland in Scotland by 50% by 2024, which will help to drive jobs for young people in outdoor environments across Scotland – another commitment made in the 20/21 Programme for Government.
Environment and Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said:
“The coronavirus pandemic has been an unprecedented global crisis which has fundamentally changed every aspect of our lives. How we work, how we travel, how we use our land and other natural assets will all need to be re-imagined in order to build Scotland’s recovery and shape our future.
“This year’s Programme for Government makes clear that our commitment to tackling the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss is unwavering. Indeed, they are central to our recovery.
“We will ensure our recovery is one that creates good quality, green jobs and ensures a fair and just transition to net-zero, leaving no-one behind.”
An additional £150m is also being dedicated to flood risk management, as well as the £42m already given to local councils on an annual basis.
