The plans were announced as part of its legislative programme for 2019-20. Protecting Scotland’s Future sets out initiatives to tackle areas such as transport, waste and home heating as steps towards achieving ‘net zero’ emissions.
Amongst other elements, the embryonic Scottish Green Deal includes commitments to:
- invest over £500m in improved bus priority infrastructure to tackle the impacts of congestion on bus services and raise bus usage;
- bring to market a £3bn portfolio of projects, including renewables, waste and construction, ready for green finance investment;
- ensure that from 2024, all new homes must use renewable or low carbon heat. This will be achieved through a fundamental overhaul in building regulations to increase energy efficiency and the efficiency of construction from 2021, and will be accompanied by a £30m investment in renewable heat projects;
- put the Highlands and Islands on a path to becoming the world's first net zero aviation region by 2040;
- provision of an additional £17m to support the demand for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) through its Low Carbon;Transport Loan scheme, while expanding the scheme to include used electric vehicles;
- put the transition to net zero at the heart of the Scottish National Investment Bank's work;
- unlock additional resource for emissions-reducing investment through a Green Growth Accelerator – referred to by the Climate Emergency Response Group (CERG) as a 'Green City Deal' – combining public and private investment to transform cities and regions.
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