Tackling climate change

A global agreement to tackle climate change takes effect from Friday, November 4.

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham welcomed this significant development which allows implementation to be taken forward, she said:

“Today is a landmark day in the global fight against climate change.

“The first legally binding agreement is now in force, which aims to hold global temperature rise this century to well below two degrees Celsius and to pursue efforts to limit the rise even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“This is a significant step forward for collective global effort to tackle climate change and help protect our environment and planet for future generations.

The Scottish Government will continue to progress our world leading low carbon ambitions which saw us exceed our 2020 emissions reductions target 6 years early. 

“I look forward to attending the next UN climate change conference in Marrakech later this month where work on implementing the Paris Agreement can now begin and I will set out our proposals for our domestic climate change plan to Parliament in January.”

Background

The Paris Agreement is the first ever global and legally binding climate agreement. It aims to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees, while increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development.