The Act includes extensive provision for monitoring and reporting on progress towards achieving Scotland's climate change targets, in part three and elsewhere. These include:
Reports on annual targets
For each year in the period 2010-2050, Ministers must provide Parliament with a report on annual targets, no later than October 31 in the second year after the target year. The report must state whether the annual target for the year has been met, and if not it must explain why. Section 34 of the Act includes a list of additional information the report must also contain, including carbon units purchased, electricity generation and more.
Reports on policies and proposals for meeting annual targets
After setting each batch of annual targets, Ministers must produce a report setting out proposals and policies for meeting those targets, and describing how they contribute to the interim and 2050 targets. The first of these reports, Low Carbon Scotland - Meeting the Emissions Reduction Targets 2010-2022, was published in March 2011.
Reports on emissions attributable to Scottish consumption
This report, due in respect of each year in the period 2010-2050, must set out the emissions of greenhouse gases, whether in Scotland or elsewhere, which are produced by or otherwise associated with the consumption and use of goods and services in Scotland during that year. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act is the only legislation which requires that this kind of reporting by carried out on a statutory basis. This world-leading step which ensures that production-based and consumption-based emissions are considered together.