As we continue to tackle the COVID pandemic, it is important to remember the climate emergency hasn’t gone away – far from it.

That’s why on 6th May it must be Both Votes SNP to re-elect Nicola Sturgeon and an SNP government to secure a green recovery and a greener Scotland.

The SNP in government will continue Scotland’s global leadership on climate action by continuing to invest millions every year in renewable energy and increasing progress towards becoming a net-zero nation.

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We already have the most ambitious legal framework for emissions reduction in the world – with targets of a 75% reduction in emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2045, as well as being carbon neutral by 2040.

Whilst the Tories at Westminster repeatedly fail to match our ambitious targets, Scotland and the SNP has stepped up and taken bold steps to secure a green recovery – all while tackling inequalities and building prosperity for future generations with thousands of new, high-quality, green jobs.

So far in the campaign, we have pledged to deliver another 100,000 affordable and green homes by 2032 if we are re-elected, which would support around £16 billion in total investment and up to 14,000 jobs a year.

We will also decarbonise heating in all homes - in line with Scotland’s climate ambitions – and ensure this is done in a fair and just way, including by adapting and retrofitting existing homes.

The SNP Scottish Government under Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership has become synonymous with bold and ambitious action to tackle climate change.

Scotland was the first country in the UK, and one of the first in the world, to declare a ‘climate emergency’ and we have already halved our greenhouse emissions since 1990 – second only to Sweden in Western Europe for emissions reductions.

In December, the SNP Government injected fresh ambition to its Climate Change Plan with 100 more policies - and we plan to do so much more if re-elected.

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We will double our world-leading Climate Justice Fund to £24m over four years, implement our ambitious Deposit Return Scheme for single use drinks containers and invest an additional £500m in our natural economy to help tackle the biodiversity crisis.

And in just a matter of months, the spotlight will be on Scotland again as it hosts the COP26 summit in Glasgow, where – if re-elected – the SNP will support world-changing action to tackle the climate emergency.

The summit will be a critical moment in the global fight against climate change. An SNP Government will work together with leaders from around the world and at all levels of government, to strengthen our global efforts and show what Scotland can offer the world.

We have already shown our commitment to tackling the climate crisis and showcased what Scotland can offer by setting world-leading targets, leading the way on renewable energy, planting 22 million trees a year and committing to restoring 250,000 hectares of peatland by 2030, and by driving forward a fully decarbonised transport system - including nationalising and decarbonising our railways and phasing out new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.

Imagine how much further we could go under Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership and with the full powers of independence. That’s why – to secure a green and socially just recovery – it must be Both Votes SNP on 6th May. Scotland’s future must be in Scotland’s hands if we are to reach our full potential on tackling climate change.