Scotland continues to remain on target to meet its climate change goals by 2020, according to new statistics published today (10 June).

The country aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2020.

The new figures reveal that while Scotland met its original target for 2012 with a 26.4% reduction from 1990, compared to a 24.2% reduction at the time the targets were set, the country missed the fixed annual emissions target for 2012.

This is because of improvements in measuring carbon emissions which were not known in 2009 when the targets were outlined in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act, or known in 2012, the year they were being measured.

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In a statement, the Scottish Government said it welcomed the improvements, but would continue to take action to ensure Scotland "remains on track".

Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, said: "Scotland has the world's leading climate change targets. With a target of 42% by 2020 we are ahead of the UK at 34% and well ahead of the EU at 20%.

"Scotland chose to have stretching targets because we were aware of the scale of the challenge of climate change. And we should be proud of the efforts that have been made across society since the 2009 Climate Change Act.

"However since then we have also improved the method for calculating our greenhouse gas emissions. That was the right thing to do, but it now shows that the task is in fact even harder than Parliament and society realised in 2009."

(JP/CD)