Net Zero minister Mairi McAllan today (April 18) told the Scottish Parliament that the 2030 target was “out of reach,” while stressing Scotland’s 2045 Net Zero goal will remain.

In December 2022, Scotland set out ambitions to boast a 5GW low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030 and 25GW by 2050.

Read more: Scotland unveils Hydrogen Action Plan with 25GW aspirations by 2045

The decision comes after the Climate Change Committee (CCC) in March (2024) said the government was “failing” to achieve Scotland’s climate goals, after missing eight of the past 12 annual targets for cutting GHG emissions.

McAllan said the government accepted the CCC’s findings that its 2030 interim target was “out of reach.”

“We must now chart a course to 2045 at a pace and scale that is feasible, fair and just,” she told parliament.

McAllan set out a new package of climate measures including 24,000 EV charging points by 2030, launching a consultation on carbon land tax on large estates, considering recommendations on green heating, and publishing its final energy strategy this summer.

She said the government would redouble efforts to ensure Net Zero is “fully considered” across its workforce, spending, policy development and structures.

The Net Zero minister took fire at the UK Government for imposing “severe budgetary restrictions,” meaning the Scottish Government could not deliver on its goals.

Scotland’s back-track comes after the UK Government in September (2023) delayed the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to 2035 as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed to deliver a more “pragmatic, proportionate and realistic approach to meeting Net Zero.”

Read more: UK delays petrol and diesel car ban