The Climate Change Plan (CCP) is a document which outlines how the Scottish Government intends to meet emissions reduction targets across all portfolio areas and sectors of the economy. The next Plan will cover the period 2026-2040 as Scotland looks to be ‘net zero’ in carbon emissions by 2045.
Net zero is the point when emissions entering the atmosphere are balanced by removals out of the atmosphere.
The Scottish Government laid a on 6 November 2025. The was in 2018, with a published in 2021.
This follows the Scottish Parliament’s approval of regulations which set five-year carbon budgets - limits on the amount of greenhouse gas which can legally be emitted over a given time. The CCP seeks to meet the reduction targets set out in the regulations for the period 2026-2040.
The CCP must also set out the costs and benefits of policies it proposes, whilst taking into consideration the principles of a Just Transition - that the switch to net zero should reduce not increase social injustice.
Scrutiny of the draft CCP will be a cross-parliamentary effort, reflecting the fact that climate change impacts across all sectors. Scrutiny will focus on areas such as electricity, buildings, transport, industry, waste & circular economy, land use & forestry, agriculture, and negative emissions.
Scottish Parliament committees now have 120 days (until 5 March) to scrutinise and report on the aspects of the Plan which fall under their remit.
Scrutiny of the draft CCP will be a cross-parliament effort. As well as the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee the following committees already have or are currently considering taking part in cross-committee scrutiny of the draft CCP, with some committees who are considering scrutiny of one or more entire section or theme of the draft Plan and others who might link questions on climate change into other work they are undertaking.
For more information on their plans please visit their webpage or contact the relevant clerk:
Economy and Fair Work Committee
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
The Scottish Government has committed to publishing its final Climate Change Plan before the dissolution of Parliament for the 2026 election.
What do you think of the proposals laid out in the draft CCP? Do they go far enough? Are they detailed enough? What more can be done to help ensure Scotland reaches its net zero targets?
The Committee has launched a new consultation designed to hear the views of individuals and communities on what they think about how Scotland reaches net zero emissions.
The Committee launched an interactive engagement platform designed to help individuals and community groups share their views in a short and accessible format.
The Scottish Government is also carrying out their own consultation separately, which will not feed directly into our analysis.
Further information about the Scottish Parliament’s scrutiny of the CCP can be found in the draft Climate Change Plan SPICe Hub.
Understanding your views will help 成人快手 think about what could improve the CCP, and whether it could be changed.
The deadline to share your views is 25 January 2026.
The NZET Committee ran a Call for Views asking respondents what should be in the draft CCP over the summer. We received 101 responses which are available here, alongside summaries prepared by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Read the summaries of the Call for Views responses prepared by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, broken down by subject:
Land Use, Land Use Changes and Forestry
27 June 2025
The Committee’s Call for Views opened
19 September 2025
The Committee’s Call for Views closed
6 November 2025
The Scottish Government laid the draft Climate Change Plan for a period of 120 days.
25 November 2025
The Committee took evidence from a panel on the draft CCP as a whole, considering aspects including financing, governance, monitoring and evaluations.
27 November 2025
The Committee launched a consultation using the Your Priorities platform aimed at reaching individual and communities to hear their views on the draft Plan.
16 December 2025
The Committee will hear from two panels on:
- An overview of the draft CCP, considering aspects including delivery, costs, and the balance between different areas where emission reductions are proposed.
- A panel focussing on the rollout of Electric Vehicles to meet emission reduction targets in the transport section of the draft CCP.
6 January 2026
The Committee will hear from two panels on:
- Further aspects of the transport section, focussing on travel demand management, active and sustainable transport, and freight.
- The waste chapter of the draft CCP which includes landfill and circular economy policies.
19 January 2026
The Committee will visit the north east of Scotland to hear from local communities and stakeholders with an interest in the energy section of the draft CCP.
20 January 2026
The Committee will hear from a panel on energy deployment in the draft CCP
25 January 2026
The Committee’s consultation using the Your Priorities platform will close on 25 January 2026.
27 January 2026
The Committee will hear from a panel on renewable energy production as it related to the draft CCP.
10 February 2026
The Committee will take closing evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy.
5 March 2026
The 120-day period of Parliamentary scrutiny ends on 5 March 2026. By this point the Committee will have reported its findings to the Parliament and a debate in the Chamber is expected to have been held.
The inquiry was discussed at the following Committee meetings:
The Committee has sent and received the following correspondence during the inquiry:
Letter from Audit Scotland, 10 December 2025
Letter from Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, 9 December 2025
Letter from Criminal Justice Committee, 1 December 2025
Letter from Social Justice and Social Security Committee, 27 November 2025
Letter from DPLR Committee, 26 November 2025
Letter to all Committee Conveners, 20 November 2025
Letter from Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, 6 November 2025
Letter from Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, 3 November 2025
Letter from Convener to Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, 30 October 2025
Letter to all Committee Conveners, 9 October 2025
Letter from Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, 24 July 2025