Scotland could become a world leader in the fight against climate change after John Swinney, the Finance Secretary, yesterday announced plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.

The target will be included in a Climate Change Bill which Mr Swinney said would enable Scotland to "show leadership" to other nations in how to tackle the problem. The 80% target goes further than the UK government's aspirations for a 60% reduction in carbon emissions.

In a statement to parliament yesterday, Mr Swinney said: "Unchecked climate change is one of the most serious threats facing us today. It is not just an environmental challenge - climate change threatens people and our economies, our societies and indeed our very existence. We recognise that every country has a responsibility to take action to cut emissions and different actions will be appropriate for different countries. So we must take the action that is required for Scotland and make our contribution to the international effort."

However, his announcement that the SNP's promise of annual targets was being dropped drew criticism from opposition parties and environmentalists. In the SNP's election manifesto, the party vowed their climate change legislation would include "mandatory carbon reduction targets of 3% per annum".

Yesterday, though, Mr Swinney instead said the 80% reduction target by the middle of the century was "equivalent to emissions reductions of 3% each year". Rhona Brankin, Labour's Shadow Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, accused the executive of "a U-turn a day".

Patrick Harvie, the Green MSP, added: "The statement will cause some disappointment in some quarters, particularly due to the lack of commitment to annual targets."

Mr Swinney said the bill was unlikely to be published before the end of 2008 to allow consultation.

  • Alistair Darling, Trade and Industry Secretary, rejected an appeal from Alex Salmond to make a special case for BP's carbon capture and storage scheme at Peterhead.

Arguing that too much taxpayers' money, hundreds of millions of pounds, was at stake to award the contract without a competition, Mr Darling wrote to the First Minister yesterday to justify the government's decision.

Mr Salmond, supporter of the scheme, said last night: "This is deeply disappointing. Alistair Darling is in severe danger of being known as the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who flung away the opportunity of a world lead in one of the dominant technologies of the century."