Yesterday I launched Scotland’s first Climate Week –  a week of events and training aimed at inspiring people across the country to take action on climate change.

In Scotland we can be proud of the progress we have already made on climate change. We continue to lead the UK in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and have exceeded the level of our 2020 target, six years early.

We acknowledge that more needs to be done to meet the global ambitions set out in the landmark Paris Agreement. That’s why we will go further and introduce new ambitious legally-binding targets later in this Parliament. 

A new Climate Change Plan, to be published in draft this winter, will build on our strong progress to date, setting out our priorities and commitments to meet our ambitious emissions reduction targets over the coming decades. 

It is clear that we can all make little changes that have a big impact on tackling climate change – the Scottish Government will certainly continue to do everything we can to address this pressing issue.

Roseanna Cunningham MSP is Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform.

Here’s just some of the action we’re taking in government to tackle climate change.

• We will introduce a new Climate Change Bill later in this parliament. Having met our current target of a 42% reduction in emissions six years ahead of schedule, the Bill will set the ambitious new target of a more than 50% reduction in actual Scottish emissions by 2020.

• We will publish a new Climate Change Plan and a new Energy Strategy, which will together set out our low carbon infrastructure priorities.

• We have made energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority, and we will support it with more than £500 million of public funding over four years.

• As part of our £100 million capital stimulus package, brought forward to mitigate the impact of Brexit, we will invest £10 million in energy efficiency measures for homes and a further £10 million for public buildings.

• We will invest £8 million of European funding in developing green infrastructure to tackle inequality and improve quality of life in disadvantaged communities.

• We will refresh our Electric Vehicle Roadmap, setting out how we will free Scotland’s towns, cities and communities from the damaging emissions of fossil-fuelled vehicles by 2050.

• We will maintain record levels of investment in cycling and walking for the duration of this Parliamentary term.

• The Low Carbon Travel and Transport scheme will be launched, investing £12 million of European funding in projects that make it easier for people to choose active or low carbon travel options.

• Funding of £10 million will be available to support locally-owned energy, allowing more communities to invest in renewable energy.

• We will consult on plans to deliver a Scottish Green Energy Bond and a possible government-owned energy company to support local, community-led energy.

• We have invested £23 million in the MeyGen project, the world’s first large-scale tidal energy farm.

• The Climate Challenge Fund will make £10 million available to fund community projects that reduce local carbon emissions, improve local areas and help them adapt to the impact of climate change.  

• We are committed to a more circular economy where products and materials are kept in high value use as long as possible. That’s why we will introduce a Circular Economy and Zero Waste Bill in the second half of this Parliamentary session.