EAST Lothian’s Scottish Greens councillor has said society has "failed" after the Scottish Government ditched its bid to reduce greenhouse gases by 75 per cent by 2030.

Speaking at a meeting of East Lothian Council on Tuesday, Councillor Shona McIntosh said that the blame for the announcement lay at the feet of everyone.

However, her comments were dismissed by the council leader, who insisted that the initial target had been a "fantasy".

The Scottish Government announced it was ditching its commitment to reducing greenhouse gases by 75 per cent by 2030 last week but said that its long-term target to reach net zero by 2045 remained.

At the meeting, Ms McIntosh said that she, like others, had been left "discombobulated" by the announcement.

She said: “This is a point when Scotland is taking stock and the reasons for the announcement last week is that we have all failed, as a society, to make those changes that we would have needed to do to get that 75 per cent reduction by the end of the decade and we all need to figure out what to do about that.”

'Bold policies'

Ms McIntosh said that she, and the Greens, were clear that the announcement did not mean "there is no target”.

She said: “It just means we are responding to the fact the climate change committee has said that 75 per cent target is unattainable, but we are still looking very much at how we get to net zero by 2045.”

And she said that councils had to be ready to play a part in reducing emissions, pointing to areas which, she said, had "flatlined" in recent years, including transport and agriculture.

She said: “We have got to be ready and willing to enact bold policies and be ambitious about what we can do to affect all of these sectors and maximise working together with residents, businesses and community groups, and with investors as well.”

The council meeting had heard a report on the local authority’s climate change strategy, which has seen emissions measured last year showing a 10.6 per cent reduction on those recorded two years earlier.

It also revealed that there had been a 17.5 per cent increase in the volume of recyclable material collected kerbside when compared to the period between 2019 and 2020.

'A fantasy'

Councillor Norman Hampshire (Labour), council leader, hit back at claims that the decision to scrap the 2030 target was down to society’s failures.

He said: “2030 was never possible, it was a fantasy they were talking about and to blame anyone else for not getting there, it was them that set the target, not anybody else.

“2045 is potentially achievable but it needs funding and, unless that funding comes, we are not going to get there and that is the reality.”

Commenting on the climate change update on the council’s performance, he added: “As an organisation providing important public services throughout East Lothian, we recognise the importance of taking a leadership role in reducing overall carbon emissions through taking proactive action.

“With East Lothian being one of Scotland’s fastest-growing areas as we play our part in delivering national housebuilding targets, it is important that we continue to focus on environmentally sustainable solutions for the benefit of service provision.”