The Climate Change Committee published its latest assessment of the Scottish Government's progress in reducing emissions on 25 February 2026. It found "credible plans" and "plans with only some risks" in place for 91 per cent of the emissions reduction needed to achieve Scotland's First Carbon Budget, which runs from 2026 to 20301.
The Committee said long-term policies for decarbonising buildings and negative emissions technologies (NETs) are lacking, and that this puts the carbon budgets starting in 2031 at risk1. It reported "significant risks and gaps in policy" for the Second Carbon Budget (2031 to 2035) and the Third (2036 to 2040), and set out 18 priority recommendations1.
Scotland's territorial greenhouse gas emissions were 39.6 MtCO2e in 2023, having fallen 2.6 per cent between 2021 and 2023 and now standing at less than half 1990 levels1. The Committee recorded an 18 per cent increase in heat pump installations between 2023 and 2024, a 38 per cent rise in electric vehicles on the road in the year to September 2025, and peatland restoration almost doubling over two years to 14,900 hectares in 2024/251.
On housing, the Committee said current plans for buildings are "too slow" and rely on a "risky late 2030s catch-up"1. It called for the upcoming Heat in Buildings Strategy and Delivery Plan to be published as soon as possible this year, and said it should include minimum energy efficiency standards for privately rented homes and a strategy for decarbonising tenements, which make up around 25 per cent of Scottish homes1. Funding announced in the Scottish Budget 2026-27 must be confirmed and extended beyond the next financial year, it added1.
"Electrification will take Scotland most of the way to Net Zero, but to achieve this progress must extend action beyond the energy sector to electrifying cars, buildings, and industry. Low carbon home heating is a critical part of Scotland's transition, and the next decade will be decisive for supply chains. Current plans for buildings are too slow and rely on a risky late 2030s catch-up. Scotland needs to accelerate the roll-out of heat pumps now."
The Scottish Government has legislated new emissions reduction targets to reach Net Zero by 20451. The Committee said the government has chosen a pathway with a significant level of reliance on NETs, and should publish a delivery plan setting out the expected role of each technology and the actions required to deliver them, co-ordinated with the UK Government1.
Why it matters for households
The assessment concerns Scotland, where energy and buildings policy is devolved, but the carbon budgets it covers are part of the UK-wide framework that sets the direction for climate targets and carbon budgets across the nations. For a household, the practical signal is in the buildings findings: the Committee judges the current pace of home decarbonisation insufficient, and identifies privately rented homes and tenements as areas where standards and plans are still missing1. Tenements account for around a quarter of Scottish homes, a tenure where owners often cannot act alone on insulation or heating because decisions are shared1.
Heat pump installations rose 18 per cent between 2023 and 2024, from a low base, and the Committee links the next decade to supply chains, meaning the availability of installers and equipment rather than only household demand1. The reliance on NETs matters because those technologies are intended to offset emissions that remain rather than cut them at the point of use, so a shortfall in delivery would fall on other sectors, buildings among them1. The Committee's recommendations cover regulation, funding, skills and public engagement, but no decisions on any of them have been announced1. Policy in Wales, where different rules apply, is set out in energy and buildings policy in Wales; wider regulation and policy coverage sits under the regulation and policy section.
What happens next
The Committee said the Heat in Buildings Strategy and Delivery Plan should be published as soon as possible this year, and that funding announced in the Scottish Budget 2026-27 must be confirmed and extended beyond the next financial year1. It also called for a credible final Climate Change Plan, a strategy for delivering land use changes through the upcoming Fourth Land Use Strategy, and a NETs delivery plan1. No dates for publication of those documents are given in the assessment1.