Demanding transparency on the Scottish Government’s £26bn infrastructure plan
We challenged the Scottish Government’s failure to demonstrate whether their £26bn Infrastructure Investment Plan aligns with net zero targets.
Overview
Because of our credible threat of legal action with Good Law Project, the Scottish Government admitted their breach of section 94A of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. This requires the Government to demonstrate how its Infrastructure Investment Plan aligns with the emissions targets in the Climate Change Plan.
“Decisions made about infrastructure today will shape Scotland for decades to come, and it is in the national interest to ensure full transparency“
Dr Shivali Fifield, ERCS Chief Officer
Updates
March 2024
Scottish Government published an insufficient carbon assessment
Our legal pressure forced the Scottish Government to publish their climate impact assessment, but it does not include any emissions calculations or show whether the infrastructure plan will deliver on net zero targets.
The Government has done just enough to make further legal action difficult, but we will continue to press for clearer accountability requirements on their climate obligations.
Legal threat forces Scottish Government to publish climate impacts
Following our renewed threat about legal action, the Scottish Government publishes the missing assessment.
Scottish Ministers pressed for details
After committing to publishing the assessment, Scottish Ministers disagree about including an assessment of expected emissions – we renew our legal threat.
Scottish Government admits climate law breach and says it will fix it
Scottish Government says it is working urgently to publish the climate impact assessment.
Scottish Government faces legal action over missing climate assessment
After being alerted by a concerned citizen, we warn the Scottish Government about a legal challenge unless the publish the missing climate assessment.
