01 MINISTERIAL FOREWORD
Climate change will change the world we live in. As a society we are at the cusp choosing which world we will pass to our children: a greener, sustainable economy, or a world where mass deaths from droughts, famines and storms and the extinction of species is the norm.
Scotland can play a leading role internationally in taking action on climate change. The Scottish Government's vision is to build a Greener Scotland for our children, setting an example to the rest of the world of how a developed nation can become greener sustainably. That is why we are proposing to build a long-term framework for this and successive administrations in Scotland to ensure that we reduce our emissions by 80% by 2050. Bringing forward a Climate Change Bill is a key commitment for our Government. This will be Scotland's main contribution to the global effort required to ensure that climate change is minimised for future generations.
We know that reaching this target and making sustained reductions over the coming years will be difficult. But we also know that the people of Scotland always rise to a challenge and will tackle it with the passion and ingenuity which, as history shows, we always have done when our nation is faced with a challenge. This Government has pledged to govern in the Scottish national interest and taking action on climate change is clearly in our national interest.
The Scottish Government has one clear purpose: to focus the Government and public services on creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth. This is why the Government Economic Strategy 1 introduces strategic targets which combine raising our GDP growth rate and reducing our emissions - reducing our emissions is a central part of increasing sustainable economic growth.
The proposals we are setting out are designed to build a clear and credible framework to guide Scotland to a low-carbon economy. Businesses will have the certainty they need to invest in our immense green potential. That investment will bring new jobs and new growth. We can become a world leader in marine energy, and we can build the greener, sustainable economy that we want to pass on to our children.
The proposed Scottish Climate Change Bill is the key measure supporting this Government's commitment to tackling climate change. We are already taking action to reduce our emissions. We have tripled the funding for community renewables and microgeneration and we are providing funding to rural communities to help reduce emissions from land management practices. We will continue to take regular and sustained action to reduce our emissions but meeting our ambitious climate change targets will require greater action by all parts of Scottish society.
We are confident that Government, business and all of the people of Scotland are ready to rise to the challenge of climate change. The proposed Scottish Climate Change Bill will provide the long-term framework we need to do that. We need to get this framework right - it will provide the basis for action in Scotland on climate change for the next 40 years. This is why we have been talking to organisations from across Scotland to ask what needs to be included. We welcome your views on these proposals to make sure that we build a strong legal framework and, through that, to make sure that we build the right world for future Scots to enjoy.
John Swinney
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
Stewart Stevenson
Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change