Auditor General warns Scottish Government must up the pace on fossil fuel phase out

Commenting on the embargoed report from the Auditor General which warns that the Scottish Government will not be able to phase out fossil-fuel home heating systems by 2045 unless it significantly increases the scale and pace of activity, Scottish Liberal Democrat climate emergency spokesperson Liam McArthur said:

“Heat makes up a significant percentage of the country's emissions yet this report shows that there is still significant progress to be made in heating our homes from renewable sources.

“The failure to make sufficient progress means more emissions and higher fuel bills for consumers.

“The Scottish Government was very critical, rightly so, when the Prime Minister recently diluted the UK Government’s climate commitments. Now it looks like SNP / Green Ministers have followed suit.

“If we are to ensure that Scotland becomes a world leader in the battle against climate change the Government needs to work with local authorities to push forward on renewable heating projects and create thousands more energy efficient warm homes.”