THE Scottish Government has pledged to bring in a target for net zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as a date can be set “credibly and responsibly”.

The assurance came after Scottish Labour revealed its plans to hit the target by 2050.

The party’s climate change spokeswoman Claudia Beamish said the Holyrood draft Climate Change Bill – which pledges to reduce greenhouse gases by at least 90% by 2050 – was “far too timid”, saying: “It is our duty to step up for global climate justice, and Scottish Labour’s climate policy addresses these obligations while giving Scotland time to adapt in a just way for the workforce and communities.”

The party’s plan was welcomed by Gina Hanrahan, of campaign group Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, and Scottish Trades Union Congress deputy general secretary Dave Moxham.

A government spokesperson said: “Scotland is internationally acknowledged as a world leader in tackling greenhouse gas emissions and our ambitious Climate Change Bill is the toughest climate legislation of any country in the world.

“The Bill sets a target to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2050, which will mean net-zero carbon dioxide by the same date. In other words, Scotland will be carbon neutral.

“The Bill also means the Scottish Government is legally bound to regularly review when to set a net-zero target for all greenhouse gases and as soon as that target date can be set credibly and responsibly, we will write that date into law too. We will legislate for a net-zero target date as soon as we can be sure that, based on the best scientific understanding, it is achievable and doing so will not compromise the well-being of the people of Scotland.”