Emissions Dip Fails to Impress as Scotland’s Climate Progress ‘Stalls’

Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped in 2023—but not by much—and campaigners say the pace of progress is dangerously slow. Despite government reassurances, critics argue bold policy has taken a back seat to political noise.

A narrow drop, a broader concern

Scotland’s emissions fell by 1.9% in 2023. That’s the headline. But for many watching closely, it was less a cause for celebration and more a warning sign.

The modest decline masks deeper issues. International air travel surged as pandemic restrictions lifted, clawing back hard-won gains. And even with cuts in the power sector, emissions from transport, heating, and agriculture barely budged.

That’s a problem, environmental groups argue, because Scotland scrapped its annual targets after missing nine of the last thirteen. There’s now no short-term measuring stick. Just a long road to net zero by 2045—and too few clear markers along the way.

Planes up, targets gone

Air travel emissions jumped by 19% last year. That alone speaks volumes.

Two years after the Scottish Parliament declared a “climate emergency,” progress feels sluggish. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says what followed wasn’t bold policy—but scattered fixes.

One sentence, blunt and painful: “Timid piecemeal initiatives crowded out more ambitious ideas.”

No one denies some sectors are shifting. The power sector, for example, saw a major cut—down 44%—thanks largely to a drop in gas-fired generation at Peterhead and a steady push toward wind energy. But elsewhere?

Flatlines.

The big three polluters are still just that

Domestic transport, heating, and agriculture continue to top the emissions chart. And they’ve proven tough to crack.

In 2023, here’s how the major sectors stacked up:

Electricity may be getting greener, but people still drive, fly, and heat homes with fossil fuels. Emissions from buildings now outweigh those from farms, making it the second-biggest source. Agriculture held steady, but that’s not necessarily good news.

And then there’s the big policy vacuum. No interim goals, no clear sense of how to measure progress year by year.

Climate watchdogs say this isn’t leadership

WWF Scotland and others aren’t sugarcoating it. They say Scotland’s efforts are “simply not enough.”

Claire Daly, head of policy at WWF Scotland, was direct. “Transport, buildings, and agriculture remain far too high. Every year of inaction makes the path to a safer, fairer future even harder to reach.”

It’s not just the NGOs raising eyebrows.

Even some policy insiders quietly admit that momentum has faded. Early hope from the 2019 climate emergency declaration has cooled. While local councils trial low emission zones—like Glasgow’s first, launched in June 2023—such measures are limited in scope and too slow to scale up.

Political crossfire over climate credibility

Critics in Holyrood are not holding back.

Scottish Conservatives’ Douglas Lumsden called net zero “an empty slogan.” His accusation? That the SNP brags about global leadership but can’t even keep its own promises.

Scottish Labour’s Sarah Boyack went further. She blasted the government’s “woeful delivery” and blamed it for failing to restore natural carbon sinks like peatlands and forests at scale.

To be fair, the government defends its approach. Acting Net-Zero Secretary Gillian Martin highlighted the 51.3% drop in emissions since 1990 and insisted net zero “offers huge economic opportunities.”

But critics say that promise sounds too much like PR.

The fight for climate action is getting harder

There’s a deeper issue bubbling beneath the stats and slogans. Trust.

Scotland was once seen as a climate leader. But after scrapping the annual targets, public confidence took a hit. The government says it’ll switch to five-year carbon budgets—eventually. But there’s no law in place yet.

Meanwhile, campaigners worry. Without pressure, will ministers drift?

It’s not just about the data. It’s about belief that real change is happening. And that’s been shaken.

One sentence here, on its own, says a lot: People aren’t sure if the climate strategy is still serious.

What needs to happen now?

Some experts are pointing to practical fixes—not moonshots.

• Push investment into green heating tech for homes.

• Ramp up electric vehicle charging infrastructure, especially outside cities.

• Make agriculture more climate-friendly through precision practices and land use reform.

• Get serious about restoring peatland and planting trees.

• Reintroduce realistic, legally binding short-term targets.

These aren’t shiny slogans. But they could shift the dial.

None of it will be easy. The political will, public patience, and economic constraints are all in play.

And one more thing—there’s no climate opt-out. Scotland, like everywhere else, is on the clock.