Nicola Sturgeon has declared a "climate emergency" at the SNP Spring Conference and pledged the Scottish Government would live up to its responsibility to tackle global waming.

She claimed new laws pledging to make Scotland carbon neutral by 2050 make the country a world leader but pledged to go further and faster if the government could.

In doing so the First Minister stole a march on UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who has launched a bid to delcare a climate emergency at Westminster this week.

But Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard claimed her promises rang hollow.

Ms Sturgeon told conference delegates: "A few weeks ago, I met some of the young climate change campaigners who’ve gone on strike from school to raise awareness of their cause.



They want governments around the world to declare a climate emergency. They say that’s what the science tells us. And they are right.

So today, as First Minister of Scotland, I am declaring that there is a climate emergency. And Scotland will live up to our responsibility to tackle it."

She said Scottish legislation already contained some of the toughest targets in the world but she was listening to those who said it wasn't enough.

She added: "Later this week, the Committee on Climate Change will publish new scientific advice on Scotland’s targets. If that advice says we can go further or go faster, we will do so."

Climate campaign group Extinction Rebellion Scotland welcomed the statement on social media, tweeting:

"This has seen them start to #'TellTheTruth about some of the climate & ecological crisis.

"The SNP must now halt biodiversity loss, go net ZeroCarbon 2025 & create a CitizensAssembly."

However Mr Leonard said: “The call for a climate emergency from Nicola Sturgeon just rings hollow.

“The SNP plan to cut Air Departure Tax by 50 per cent - a move that will massively increase emissions. And they have time and again opposed Labour’s call for net zero emissions.

"Labour will put environmental justice at the heart of our industrial strategy and ensure we respond to the climate emergency on the scale necessary."