Electric Vehicles are vitally important to Scotland’s climate change plans, not least to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. Yet with less than 8 years to go, there are nowhere near enough charging points in Scotland.

Did you know that the average household spends more on transport than they do on rent, mortgage repayments, heating, or food? At the same time, transport has become the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland and in the UK.

Last month marked 100 days since the gavel fell on COP26 in Glasgow. 100 days since the end of a conference that was going to ‘save the planet’ and avert climate catastrophe. Of course, neither of those goals were achieved – not that they were ever going to be. Without popular pressure, our governments will sit on their hands. As it did in Glasgow during COP26, it falls to us to create an environment in which they have no choice but to act, and act radically.

When the Scottish Government sets new proposals on Greenhouse Gas Emissions they get reviewed by an independent body, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). So what was the verdict?
In short, our overall targets are world leading. The plans for getting there are more problematic.

Two weeks ago, ‘the most important climate conference of our generation’ ended in tears, quite literally for Alok Sharma. Many have said ‘The Glasgow Climate Pact’ is a disappointment, but that would imply I expected anything better. Boris Johnson warned we were at ‘one minute to midnight’ as COP opened. Today it’s fair to say we’re well into the early morning.

The Union – or Independence? Or co-operation? We’ve had more than 25 years of visiting and revisiting the simple in/out binary argument, and have got nowhere. We could make this century the century of co-operation – at local, national and international levels.

The coalition SNP-Green Government has the powers to realise Scotland’s full potential in the renewable energy sector, create local green jobs in communities across Scotland, implement a bold industrial strategy to invest in and grow domestic supply chains, and take all necessary steps to secure a just transition for Scotland, ensuring that no individual, family or community is left behind as we transition to net-zero.

On Saturday, I interrupted COP26 president Alok Sharma’s speech at the closing ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY) to protest the UK government’s support for the Cambo oilfield. Here I explain the motives behind our protest – directed toward the Scottish government as well as Boris Johnson’s administration. 

As one of the biggest international climate change conferences whirlwinds into Glasgow, it’s time we start asking the question, what will COP26’s legacy be for Scotland? Here are three ways we can make COP26 a byword for legacy.