The CCC study recommends that over the next five years, the Scottish Government should set its first Carbon Budget at a level 57% below 1990 emissions, with emissions falling by as much as 94% by 2045.<\/p>\n
Delivering these reductions is estimated to have a net cost of around 0.4% of Scotland\u2019s GDP per year, around \u00a3750 million per year.<\/p>\n Achieving those targets will take serious investment, however, particularly in electric technologies, expected to account for nearly half of future emissions <\/a>reductions, however, the CCC warned that current policies won\u2019t be enough to meet that lofty goal.<\/p>\n \u201cScotland\u2019s new system of carbon budgets will help guide the action we need to get to net zero by 2045,\u201d said Professor Piers Forster, interim chair of the Climate Change Committee.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut we do need to see action now. The Scottish Government has devolved powers to deliver the necessary emissions reductions in key sectors, particularly buildings, surface transport, agriculture, and land use.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe encourage them to exercise these powers as quickly and fully as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the eighteen priority recommendations the report makes to get the country on track, is that the Scottish Government should quickly support electric vehicle (EV) adoption by deploying more public charge points across the country.<\/p>\n The report estimates that with the right support, by 2035 around three-fifths of cars and vans on Scottish roads will be fully electric (compared to 2.2% for cars and 0.8% for vans in 2023), rising to a staggering 94% by 2045.<\/p>\n With prices for new and second-hand EVs falling, the CCC said there is an opportunity for rapid take-up provided the right infrastructure is in place, and although Scotland already has 7% more charge points than the UK average, this would need to rapidly increase to support such as widespread expansion of EVs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another urgent recommendation is more government backing for the installation of low-carbon heating in Scottish homes.<\/p>\n The CCC said that Scotland needs to rapidly transition to low-carbon electrified heat to meet its net zero targets, which could come in the form of more heat pumps. According to the report, by 2035, 40% of existing homes could be heated by low-carbon electric systems, rising to 92% by 2045 and reaching all homes by 2050.<\/p>\n Meeting that goal would right now require nearly 35,000 heat pump installations a year by 2030, a target the report calls \u2018feasible\u2019 but demanding immediate policy support.<\/p>\n![\"DIGIT](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1747818730_967_GEXPO25-Ads-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n