Takes Climate Action

There are three outcomes under the Takes Climate Action priority:

  • Will help deliver our net-zero target;
  • Will adapt to the effects of climate change; and,
  • Will promote greener, cleaner choices

Over the fourth Delivery Plan period:

  • Scottish Ministers will bring secondary legislation to set five-yearly Carbon Budget levels, within three months of receiving advice from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), which is expected in Spring 2025 (exact date to be confirmed). This follows the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act receiving Royal Assent on 22 November 2024.
  • We will progress our ambition of a 20% reduction in car use by 2030, with a route map, including a timeline for implementing ‘demand management'.
  • We will consider the Audit Scotland Sustainable Transport Audit Report findings and actions that we can take forward in response, during 2025.
  • We remain committed to demonstrating environmental sustainability, through the delivery of environmental protection, climate change mitigation/adaptation and air quality initiatives, across the full scope of our road activities (maintenance, improvement and operations).
  • Transport Scotland will publish a Trunk Road Adaptation Plan by 2025. This will be based on the most up-to-date climate change projections (UKCP18), and climate vulnerability and risk assessments, building on previous studies undertaken to identify locations where future adaptation of the trunk road network will be required, and recognising collaboration between transportation agencies, urban planners, engineers, and environmental, experts is essential for developing comprehensive resilience.
  • We will support action on climate change adaptation schemes at vulnerable locations across the trunk road network, and the Vulnerable Locations Operation Group will encourage innovation, collaboration, and delivery on adaptation.
  • Over the course of the 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years, we will invest £41.7 million, leveraging more than three times that amount of private funding, to increase the size of our zero-emission bus and coach fleet by 252 zero-emission vehicles, and establish a network of charging facilities open to a range of heavy-duty vehicle fleet operators. This will bring the total number of zero-emission buses in Scotland to 800, supported by investment of over £150 million since 2020.
  • Through our EV Infrastructure Fund, we will work with Scottish local authorities to continue to develop Scotland’s public EV charging network, using a mix of public and private investment.
  • We will set a route map for enabling the delivery of approximately 24,000 additional public electric vehicle charge points by 2030 to support the ongoing move to electric vehicles, through our Vision Implementation Plan.
  • We will work with fleet operators, the energy sector, financiers and others, through a new financing forum to identify ways in which the transition to zero-emission heavy duty vehicles and their supporting infrastructure can be funded in a sustainable way.
  • Building on research published in September 2024, we will continue to work with the road haulage sector, academia and the energy network operators to map the potential future need for energy infrastructure for heavy vehicles, allowing investments in the energy network and charging facilities to be made effectively.
  • We will complete electrification and enhancement of the Glasgow – East Kilbride rail line, facilitating the switch to electric trains from diesel trains, and will continue to develop our plans for decarbonisation elsewhere on the Scottish rail network.
  • We will work with the maritime sector in Scotland to transition to a decarbonised future, while continuing to facilitate key movement of goods and people and offshore energy development.
  • We will implement the actions in our new Aviation Statement, including to help develop Scottish Government policy on sustainable aviation fuel.
  • We will receive advice from the National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board on the strategic development of smart ticketing in Scotland, including advice on the national technological standard to improve smart ticketing integration between modes, as well as advising on schemes.
  • We will introduce phased improvements to the Traveline Scotland website and app, to include real time bus location information and other features.