24,000 new EV chargers among Scotland’s carbon consolation

In the process of scrapping their carbon emissions targets, the Scottish Parliament offered up some consolation prizes in an effort to distract from what Friends of the Earth Scotland called ‘the worst environmental decision in the history of the Scottish parliament.’

In yesterday’s statement, delivered to the Scottish Parliament, Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy Màiri McAllan announced a new package of climate action measures.

In terms of transport, it was announced that through a collaboration between the public and private sector, approximately 24,000 new charge points will be in place by 2030. The country currently has around 5,000, a quarter of the number in London.

In other transport-related initiatives, the cabinet secretary also announced that they government will explore a new national integrated ticketing system for public transport in Scotland, saying: ‘We will encourage and support operators across all modes of transport to participate in this project, which aims to enable passengers to use one ticketing system for all elements of a journey.’

In order to help people be less reliant on cars, a ‘route map’ will be published with the aim of delivering a 20% reduction in car use: ‘This will not be a one size fits all top-down approach. We understand that urban and rural Scotland will contribute differently to this and our Just Transition Plan for transport will ensure support for all communities.’

Màiri McAllan then turned to address other vehicles: ‘We will support the transition away from petrol and diesel vans. Working with business, including the largest companies for an initial phase and in line with our New Deal for Business principles, we will develop plans and support mechanisms to accelerate the switch to zero emission technologies and more sustainable modes. We understand the importance of this transition to small businesses and independent traders, in particular, and we will ensure that their needs are at the heart of this work.’

Methane emissions from agriculture will also be tackled, with a pilot scheme promised to support the roll out of methane suppressing food products or additives.