 Mae genchu ein lockwur. isch o gwahanol i ddechrau Y Llywodraeth i chi ddim yn cakei'r ddylai andre出ydag Again, will those members please leave now and do so or stay? The next item of business is a statement by Michael Matheson on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Statistics 2019. The Cabinet Secretary will take questions at the end of his statement, and so there should be no interventions or interruptions. Last week, we debated one of the defining issues of our time—the global climate emergency. Scotland can rightly be proud of the progress that we have already made and our plans to achieve a net zero and climate resilient future. The next decade is crucial and the time to act is now. However it is, I will continue to be a very challenging journey. The purpose of my statement today is to further update members on progress towards the world-leading targets that the Parliament agreed during its last term, which shaped the pathway for Scotland's just transition to a net zero society by 2045. The official statistics on Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions during 2019 were published this morning. We must crucially remember that this data is always historic in nature. The new figures only cover the period to the end of 2019 and do not reflect the step change in action taken since then. In particular, the update to our climate change plan was only published in December 2020. Not that these figures yet tell us anything about the impacts of Covid-19 on emissions. On the statutory reporting basis set out by Parliament through the recent Climate Change Act, Scotland's emissions during 2019 were down by 51.5 per cent since the 1990 baseline. That clearly falls short of the annual target of a 55 per cent reduction. Although it is undoubtedly disappointing that the annual target has not been met, the figures do still show good progress. Emissions fell by 2.3 per cent between 2018 and 2019. We continue to outperform the UK as a whole in delivering long-term reductions and, crucially, we are now over halfway to becoming a net zero society. We should be proud of the steps taken so far, but also recognise that there is a long way to go. Our Parliament has, quite rightly, said truly world-leading climate change targets. It is easy to overlook the fact that our economy-wide targets for every year in the 2020s and 2030s are the most stretching of any country in the world. There can be no question about Scotland's ambition here, and this Government is fully committed to rising to that challenge. We are updated the climate change plan, the effects of which, as I have said, are not yet reflected in today's figures, including over 100 new policies to accelerate progress and is supported by a record £1.9 billion of capital funding in 2021-22 to tackle climate change and to create good green jobs. That policy package reflects our understanding that more needs to be done and represents a credible pathway to meeting the increased ambition of Scotland's targets over the period to 2032. Our attention is firmly on implementing and delivering those policies to achieve real, on-the-ground changes in emissions, as well as the wider benefits for our economy through green jobs, for our society through improved health and wellbeing and outcomes and for our environment. That will be vital to delivering the green recovery from Covid-19 that we want to see. We are already making progress. Provisional figures for 2020 indicate that the equivalent of 97.4 per cent of gross electricity consumption was from renewable sources. In 2019, the whole-life carbon impact of Scotland's household waste reached its lowest level since official records began. We now have hydrogen buses on the streets in Aberdeen and Dundee, and we are building the UK's largest electric vehicle charging hub in Glasgow. We are seeing an influx of young talent to Scotland's forestry sector through the growing rural talent initiative. We are seeing farmer-led groups who are looking at low-carbon farming practices, and we are providing long-term investment in peatland restoration. We are giving 75 per cent cashback to households for zero-emission heating, as well as interest-free loans to purchase a new electric car or motorcycle. We want to go further. We will phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans and heat 1 million homes with zero-emission technologies both by 2030. Meeting Scotland's world-leading emissions targets to reach net zero by 2045 lies at the heart of our response to the global climate emergency. However, as we debated last week, the response is also much more than that. The manner in which emissions reductions are achieved is every bit as important as the reductions themselves. We are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Just Transition Commission, and we will respond fully later in the summer to that. Our recognition that climate change is a social justice issue is also reflected in the doubling of our pioneering international climate justice fund and our position as co-chair of the global under-2 coalition. It also cannot go unnoticed that Scotland's ability to deliver a green recovery and reach our targets is very much dependent upon action from the UK Government in areas that unfortunately remain reserved. That is something that the independent climate change committee has been clear on. As well as reducing our emissions, we are also preparing for the locked-in impact of climate change here in Scotland, including the risk to our precious biodiversity. We are investing in climate resilience as part of a green recovery from Covid-19 with an extra £150 million for flood risk management over this Parliament. That all forms part of our integrated response to the global climate emergency. Of course, a global challenge also requires international collaboration. It is now less than five months until the UN's landmark climate conference in Scotland. COP26 represents the world's best chance to deliver a global deal that supports the goals of the Paris agreement and delivers lasting action towards net zero and climate resilience future in a way that is fair and just. The eyes of the world will be on Glasgow, providing a unique opportunity to demonstrate the world-leading climate action that Scotland is already taking with people and wellbeing at the centre of all that we do, underpinned by our global values. We will also be listening to and learning from others as we all work to turn commitments into national and local action. We know that we have taken on a huge challenge with such ambitious emission targets. It is imperative that we in government and all of us in this chamber continue to challenge ourselves to do even more in order to meet those targets. Even when we do fall a little short, as unfortunately is the case today, Scotland's climate legislation ensures that even deeper reductions will be achieved in the future. Implementing and delivering the update to the climate change plan must remain our priority, but we will now urgently develop a catch-up report from the missed 2019 target and aim to publish it within six months at the very latest. Looking further ahead into the session, we agreed during last week's debate that the next full climate change plan should also then be brought forward as soon as possible. That approach reflects the urgency that the climate emergency demands. I will be proud to present Scotland's story and leadership on climate change ambition and delivery to the international community at COP26. The Glasgow COP will, I am sure, inspire all of us to exhilarate our efforts to achieve our shared goal of a just and fair net zero future. Thank you, cabinet secretary, and the cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in his statement, and I will allow 20 minutes for questions after which time we will have to move on to the next item of business. It would be helpful if members who wish to ask a question were to press their request to speak buttons now, and I would remind members that questions and answers should be succinct. We are really tight for time and otherwise we will not get everybody in. I call Liam Kerr. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The Scottish Conservatives believe that few things are as urgent as tackling the climate emergency and preventing its disastrous consequences for people all over the world. That is why today's publication of the latest greenhouse gas emissions targets were, to use the cabinet secretary's words, disappointing. I think that it is much more serious than that, because yet again this SNP Government has missed its own statutory target for reducing emissions. The cabinet secretary mentioned numerous actions about what is being done, but we are already seeing schemes fail. For example, just this week there were reports that retrofitted eco buses could still be banned from low emissions zones for breaching pollution laws. That is potentially £10 million of public money wasted. That is the first question. What is the Scottish Government's response to this, and how will it be rectified? Secondly, time and time again, in portfolio after portfolio, be it health, justice, education, now this, we see this SNP Government put statutory targets in place, which are then missed, then blame others for that failure. Despite what the cabinet secretary says, the legislation clearly does not ensure reductions. Can the cabinet secretary tell me what sanction or penalty is applied for failing to hit statutory targets, and to whom, and going forward, how will this Government not just promise to hit those targets, but actually ensure that they are achieved? Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am grateful to Liam Kerr for his question. I am particularly pleased to hear that the Conservatives place such importance on the issue of tackling climate change, and it is always important when it comes to tackling issues such as climate change that we show the right type of leadership. It is questioned when you have someone like the Prime Minister getting a flight from London to Cornwall to discuss issues such as climate change is not the type of leadership. I would have thought that the Conservatives would want to show on such an important issue. I think that it is important that we all show the right type of leadership in these issues, including his colleagues in Westminster. I turn to the points that he has made in relation to the retrofitting of buses and the technical issue that has been identified. Some of the equipment that has been deployed for some of the buses in Glasgow in particular has presently been investigated in order to look at addressing that programme through the Bayer programme and to deal with the technical issues that have been identified through that. Equally, the member would recognise that the largest bus charging infrastructure is currently being constructed in Glasgow in order to deploy the largest amount of electric buses in any city in the country. As a result of the direct investment that we are making as a Government in our Scottish Outer Low Emission Bus Fund, we are not only helping to get more zero-emission buses on the road, but we are also helping to support vital companies such as Alexander Dennis's, based in my constituency, who are world leaders in this technology and supporting them during a very difficult time. A commitment that has not been matched by his counterparts in Westminster as yet, which I know has disappointed the bus industry as a whole. In relation to the statutory targets that were set by Parliament in the legislation, what is very clear now is our requirement to bring a catch-up plan, which I set out that we will do in the next six months identifying the measures that will take place. I know that the member is new to the portfolio, but he will also be aware that we published our climate change plan update in December last year that sets out 100 additional measures and actions that we will take in order to drive forward our commitment to meeting those targets, and that is exactly what we are determined to do to make sure that Scotland becomes an zero country by 2045. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of the statements. It is disappointing that the Scottish Government has again missed its targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With Glasgow hosting COP26 this year, we all want Scotland to live up to our ambitions and set a good example globally. Today is a wake-up call to get our own house in order, and we are all new to the portfolio, so hopefully we can work together on that. We welcome the commitment to catch-up plan, cabinet secretary. Indeed, section 36 of the Climate Change Act requires the Government to produce such a report in lay in Parliament so that MSPs can scrutinise policy and proposals. I gently suggest to the cabinet secretary that up to six months is quite a long time. That could take us to Christmas and after COP26, so could we get a commitment that will get an earlier date on that? After failing to prevent the loss of blue carbon habitat during the last 10 years, will the Scottish Government commit to developing a strategy for Scottish fisheries to contribute to net zero, including the protection of blue carbon? On the final point that the member has made, I will come back to her specifically on that issue once I have engaged with my colleague the cabinet secretary for rural affairs that leads in these matters and give her a much more detailed response to that. First, I welcome the tone and nature of her contribution to this. The need for us to not only take this as a wake-up call but a commitment to work collectively together in order to make sure that we meet the statutory targets that have been set by this Parliament, the most stretching targets of any country in the world, to the point that the Climate Change Committee has said that they are beyond the present technical capabilities of being reached, but nevertheless the 75 per cent target is the target that the Parliament has set, and we need to stretch ourselves to doing so. What I can assure the member of is that, in relation to the catch-up plan, is that I have set and I have asked officials for that to be completed in the next six months, not necessarily by six months but as soon as in the next six months, in order to make sure that we are looking at what further policy measures we can take forward. That is a catch-up to the missing of the target in 2019. What I can also say to the member is that, as I mentioned in my statement last week, we accepted the Green Party's amendment to bring forward our climate change plan update earlier in this parliamentary session, and that is what I am committed to doing as well, to make sure that we continue to look at what further measures we can implement and take forward in order to meet this challenge both here at national level and globally. I can assure the member that I will move forward as quickly as I can, and I will, of course, look to engage with members if they have views on what they think should be in that catch-up plan. I know that I have a meeting with the member fairly soon, and I will take that opportunity to have that discussion with her at that particular point. Can the cabinet secretary outline what he expects to see in the UK Government's net zero strategy? Given that, as he highlighted, our ability to reach our targets is dependent on action from the UK Government, since we do not yet have all the levers at our disposal. Our ambitious climate change plan update contains a number of asks of the UK Government, including on fiscal levers, the future of the gas grid and hydrogen. Those are particularly important because responsibility for development of the electricity system is a matter that is reserved to the UK Government. It is critical that the UK Government takes the opportunity to support the development of a fully sustainable and secure net zero carbon electricity or energy system. That is why it is critical that it takes forward the necessary measures that we have set out in our climate change plan to address that. We hope that the UK Government will work with us and to match our ambition as we announce the actions that we will take forward in the actions that they take forward in their UK net zero strategy, which is due to be published. I believe that, later on this year, but, as yet, we have no sight of that. We will certainly continue to engage with them to try to make sure that they have the same urgency that we have in moving those matters forward. Brian Whittle, to be followed by Gillian Martin. I spoke to the Woodland Trust yesterday and they said that the Scottish Environment, Link and other stakeholders are concerned that the Scottish Forestry are holding back from publishing the guidance for soil cultivation in forestry operations. They feel that the consequences in Scotland's net zero pathway due to carbon release from soil disturbance and plowing peaty soils could make some forestry a source of emissions. Can I ask the cabinet secretary if he will commit the Scottish Government to pushing the Forestry commission to publish this report after it has already had its two-year consultation period? I am not aware of the specific report that the member made reference to, but I am more than happy to look into the matter and respond to the member directly. Gillian Martin, to be followed by Mercedes Villalba. I see from the figures published that there have been significant peatland data revisions. Can the cabinet secretary outline the impact of those changes in our emissions levels given Scotland's vast peatland resources? It changes to the international scientific guidelines on the compilation of emission data has led to a fundamental change in the scope of the UK-wide greenhouse gas inventory. Technical decisions on those matters are made solely by the UK Government. The latest data includes, for the first time, the impact of historical drainage and rewetting of peatlands. That is particularly important for Scotland and has acted as a significant as that has resulted in a significant increase in our reported emission levels across all time periods, with an additional 9.4 megatons added to our 1990 baseline. Improvements in the science of emissions measurements is also welcome, and the current changes further emphasise the importance of taking ambitious action to restore Scotland's peatlands, which we are already committed to doing. Mercedes Villalba, to be followed by Emma Harper. Today's report shows that, in 2019, domestic transport was the largest source of net emissions in Scotland, which means that more must be done to create sustainable public transport for all. It's Scottish Labour's ambition to create a net zero publicly-owned universal free bus service for all, which is why we led on legislative change to lift the ban on local councils running their own bus services, but more than 18 months since it was passed in this chamber, the Scottish Government has still not implemented the Transport Act in full. So can the cabinet secretary tell us by what date the Transport Act will be fully implemented? As the minister who took the act through Parliament, it's a multi-topic piece of legislation that covers a whole range of different provisions within transport. The member made reference to one specific element of that. The member will also recognise that, during the course of the last 14 months, staff who were dealing with the regulations that had to be developed, associated with the various elements of the Transport Act, have had to pivot to deal with matters relating to Covid, which has resulted in a delay in that work. What I can assure the member is that that work is now on-going. Officials started to move those areas of policy again towards the latter part of last year and have a programme of work to look at implementing all the various areas within the Transport Act. I can assure the member that attention has now been given to that and progress will be made on it as quickly as possible. I am sure that the member will also recognise that there is limited capacity for staff to deal with the issues associated with the pandemic, as well as dealing with some of the regulatory aspects of the legislation. However, she can be assured that we are now making progress on the issues that she raised. Can the cabinet secretary expand a bit on how people across Scottish communities, particularly in rural areas such as Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, can use the advice from the climate change committee and how action can be taken from that advice? It is extremely important to recognise that tackling the issue of climate change is not something that is going to be addressed by the Government itself. It requires everyone to play their part on an individual basis, an organisational basis but also a national basis where the Government has a role. I encourage anyone who has an interest in tackling the issues that are associated with climate change to consider the measures that have been set out by the Committee on Climate Change in its own report. Later on this week, we expect to also receive the Committee on Climate Change's adaptation report, which will set out further work that will be necessary to adapt to the challenges that are associated with the locked-in elements of climate change. I would also encourage those that Emma Harper made reference to to look at the measures that have been set out in our climate change plan update that was published last December that sets out a range of policies and actions that will be taken forward by Government and to encourage those organisations and individuals that can play a part or a role in helping to implement them and to promote them to do so in a way that will encourage more people to play their part in tackling climate change. The cabinet secretary says that he wants to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. Can he say how he plans to do that? In doing so, could he tell the chamber what progress has been made in delivering a hydrogen highway in the north-east? The member will be aware of the very ambitious programme that we have with the most extensive electrical charging infrastructure programme for any part of the UK to support people moving to zero-emission vehicles, in particular electric vehicles. That is a key part of our strategy to help to support businesses and individuals in being able to move towards zero-emission vehicles. Part of that is why we have also provided the interest-free loan to support people and also for businesses to be able to get support in moving to electric and zero-emission vehicles. That is all part of the programme to help us to achieve that particular target. The member also made reference to the hydrogen programme in the north-east, where we have hydrogen buses operating. That is part of the framework that was set out in the last Parliament in our hydrogen framework, and we are also going to be developing a hydrogen action plan, which will set out in further detail not only about investment but about the actions that we are taking in order to make sure that we develop and expand the capacity and the capability and the benefits that can come particularly from green hydrogen. That will help to support more businesses and also new technology to be developed in this area in a way that can help to support us in delivering our commitment to a just transition. Three years of mis-target showed that we do need that transformative step change, but we have already seen what is possible with renewable electricity, where this country has taken a great lead within the UK. On renewable heat, the statement talks about a million homes needing to switch over to green heating by 2030. That is 100,000 a year, cabinet secretary, and yet last year we only saw 3,000 installations in homes in Scotland. How will the cabinet secretary work across the Government and the chamber to fill that huge gap between ambition and reality? There is a piece of work that we are taking forward. The interim report was published fairly recently, just in the course of last week, from those involved in the heat industry in looking at the measures that will be necessary in order to deliver the scale and nature of our ambition. I think that the report was published yesterday, if I recall correctly, and that will be considered further in order to be developed into a finalised report that will inform the approach and strategy that the Government will take forward in order to deliver at the type of transition that we need to see in domestic heating in particular. I recognise and I agree with the member that it is a hugely ambitious target that we have set. However, the nature of the climate emergency that we face determines that it is critical that we drive this area of policy forward. If we fail to do so, we will not only meet our targets, but we will be failing for future generations and the climate damage that will be caused as a result. The work that we are taking forward with the advisory group in considering these issues will help to inform the policy that we will take forward. However, I am keen to make sure that we do everything that we can to support the sector and to be able to invest and develop the sector as broadly and as quickly as possible in order to achieve our ambition. That work that we are taking forward with the sector is critical to supporting us in achieving that. I can get two more members in if there are very brief questions and answers. Jim Fairleys, we are followed by Liam McArthur. I will be very brief and thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I understand that, given our historic nature, the statistics do not tell us about the impact of Covid on emissions, but we do know that lots of people switch to active travel. Can the cabinet secretary outline what action the Scottish Government has taken to ensure that these changes get locked in? Presiding Officer, the pandemic has created an unprecedented pressure for our transport sector, but there has also been encouraging shifts taking place during the course of the pandemic, such as the reduction in commuter journeys and an increase in cycling. We want to make sure that we try to help to maintain those and support them going forward. That is why one of the positive initiatives that we have taken forward over the course of the pandemic has been the almost £40 million that we invested in spaces for people initiative to fund local authorities to deliver temporary walking and cycling routes. More generally, we are committed to investing some £500 million for active travel infrastructure and £500 million for bus priorities over the course of the next five years. As we support an increasing focus on localism through our commitment to 20-minute neighbourhoods, we also want to make sure that we build in some of the benefits that we have gained during the course of the pandemic into our future design of local communities, which is why we are also taking forward the local challenge programme to support that. I welcome the cabinet secretary's post, but that is an inauspicious start. We are nowhere near where we need to be in reducing emissions and the Government's warm words are simply making for a warmer planet. Given the particular challenge in relation to transport, where emissions are high and have not budged, will the cabinet secretary now take the opportunity to reverse the SNP's support for a third runway that he threw? I recognise the issue that the member raised. It was an issue that was debated last week and was roundly rejected by Parliament at the time, but I also point out to him that the transport emissions is the update report that was published today that demonstrates a decline in transport emissions. What we want to do is to build on that. That is why we have a hugely ambitious programme of helping to support the decarbonisation of our public transport network, the decarbonisation of our regional aviation network and our rail network. We are the only parts of the UK to make such commitments because we are determined to move those forward and decarbonise them in order to help to support us in achieving our climate change targets. Although there has been a reduction this year, we want to build on that year in, year out. I am determined to work with colleagues across Government to make sure that we do that and that transport plays its part in helping to support us in achieving our climate change targets. There will be a short pause to allow change over for the next item of business, including in the PO's chair.