By Gillian Martin

There has been much discussion in recent days about the importance of tackling climate change, after the devastating scenes we saw recently in Spain, with floods across the eastern region of Valencia destroying roads, railways, other infrastructure and businesses, and ahead of the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan this week.

Ahead of the conference, the COP29 President-Designate has outlined four areas of focus for the representatives of over 200 nations who gather over the next fortnight – ambition, action, inclusivity, and, of course, the “moral duty” of meeting the 1.5 degree target set in Paris in 2016.

This COP has been dubbed ‘the finance COP’ because it is at this COP that leaders must agree a new climate finance goal to replace the previous $100bn target.  

However, it is likely that discussions could instead focus on Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States, and what that means for global climate efforts – as he has hinted that he may withdraw the USA from the Paris Agreement for the second time. 

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While Scotland has no formal role in the COP29 negotiations as we are not a party to the UN, there is no doubt that our engagement and leadership on the climate crisis over many years has led to progress.

In 2012 we became the first nation in the world to commit funds specifically to climate justice - a human-rights based approach which seeks to ensure that the impacts of climate change do not disproportionately affect those who have done the least to contribute. 

And three years ago, at COP26 in Glasgow, we also became the first country in the Global North to pledge £2 million in funding to address loss and damage caused by climate change. This responded to 30 years of activism from the global south who have for so long been suffering the impacts of climate change.  

Acting net zero secretary Gillian Martin (Image: PA) Despite its relatively small amount, this commitment showed global leadership, ignited a debate and catalysed a $650 million Loss and Damage Fund at COP28.

So, at this COP, we will continue to call on international actors to scale up climate finance, particularly for adaptation and to address loss and damage, in the form of grants, not loans, with those most responsible for emissions contributing the most.

There is no doubt that the next decade will be decisive when it comes to the determining whether the world meets the goals of the Paris Agreement. We are making progress, but it is clear that progress needs to be faster.   

Scotland is now more than halfway to net-zero emissions, and we continue to make progress. We have the most comprehensive network of electric vehicle charging points per head of population outside of London. And over the last year, we have introduced Low Emissions zones in a number of our cities.

More than 75% of all tree planting in the UK takes place in Scotland. And the Scottish Parliament has just passed legislation to modernise and improve our waste and recycling services to accelerate action. 

We are calling for reform of the UK electricity market to make switching to electric heating options affordable for households, and provide a market for the high volume of renewable electricity Scotland produces, as well as providing certainty in our Green Industrial strategy for hydrogen production which will help decarbonise our industries as well as exporting to other industrial nations.

Scotland is very lucky in that it has so many natural resources but also a ready-made workforce to meet the challenges of reaching net zero. 

We are well positioned to transition away from fossil fuels in a manner which ensures we have sufficient, secure and affordable energy to meet our needs, to support economic growth and to capture sustainable export opportunities – and in a just and equitable way. 

And this Government is very keen that we fully capitalise on our potential as a location for low carbon industry and technology and share our expertise in the clean energy transition with others on an international stage.

The best way to tackle the global climate emergency is for all nations to work together. 

Scotland has a particular role in this COP in our joint leadership positions in Under2 Coalition and Regions4.  We will use these to ensure that devolved nations, states and regions, can influence increased ambition and action in a just transition to net zero and climate, resilience.  

COP29 represents a critical moment to address many of these issues – which is why I will use Scotland’s voice in Baku next week to platform the voices of vulnerable communities who can’t prevent or afford to fix the harms caused by climate change and call for them to receive adequate funding, quickly, to meet their needs. 

I will also focus on ensuring that a new goal for climate finance reflects the true scale of the challenge which lies ahead for many countries across the world. 

Climate change is the fight of our lifetime. We must continue to make that progress, and take quick and decisive action - which will bring huge benefits not only to Scotland, but people and nations across the world. 

That means a greener, more biodiverse environment, cleaner air, new sources of economic vitality, greater energy security and healthier lives enriched from a better relationship with our environment.

Gillian Martin is the Scottish Government acting net zero secretary