Scotland’s first minister, Jack McConnell, told this year’s Scottish Renewables conference that no other country in the UK had yet gone as far in its commitment to reducing emissions but said that more still needs to be done. He said that the newly published planning guidance would allow the country to continue to support renewable energy developments in line with this.
Crucially, our new guidance doesn’t just apply to large-scale developments, Mr McConnell explained. It also puts a requirement on all new developments to reduce carbon emissions by at least 15%.
No other country in the UK has gone so far. But this is just a first step, he continued. We will look to increase this condition in the future.
