The Herald: MPs back target to reduce emissions by 42%

MPs back target to reduce emissions by 42%

Robbie Dinwoodie, Chief Scottish Political Correspondent
Date: 25 June 2009

Scotland yesterday made itself a world leader in the battle against global warming, as MSPs gave unanimous backing to a bill enshrining a 42% cut in carbon emissions by the year 2020.

It means that abroadScotland will be lauded as the most forward-looking nation in the world in the run-up to the Copenhagen environmental summit later this year. But behind the rhetoric at Holyrood it was accepted that there were many caveats to the commitment.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie said the climate change legislation was a good thing, and a victory for campaign groups. "Without this overwhelming pressure from outside parliament, we would not have made the progress that we've made, as we've seen this bill develop in the last few months," he said.

But He conceded that a degree of "posturing" had taken place across political parties and added: He added: "My message on where we go from here is primarily to the campaigners, to the activists, because its their work that will continue to be vital if we're going to make the commitments we've made a reality."...