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Scotland meets climate change targets for first time Scotland exceeds emissions targets - six years early
(35 minutes later)
Scotland has met its annual climate change target for the first time since they were set in 2010. Scotland has exceeded a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42% - six years early.
The Scottish government has also exceeded a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2020. New statistics show its 2014 emission levels were 45.8% lower than in 1990.
New statistics showed a reduction of 45.8% had been achieved by 2014. The Scottish government had set a target to reduce emissions by at least 42% by 2020, and 80% by 2050.
Scotland's "world-leading" annual emissions targets have never previously been met but the UN climate change secretary has praised Scotland's progress as "exemplary". Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham welcomed the statistics and confirmed that the government would now set a "new and more testing 2020 target".
The figures published on the Scottish government's website also revealed that Scotland met its annual climate change targets for the first time since 2010.
Ms Cunningham said a reduction in residential emissions in 2014 may have been due to something as simple as people turning down their heating.
'Outstanding progress'
"This underlines that small individual actions, if repeated on a large scale, can have a big impact in tackling climate change," she said.
The minister added: "Scotland is making outstanding progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"This is an especially important time for climate change, in light of the international agreement reached in Paris last December and it is great news that Scotland continues to show ambition and demonstrates the progress that can be made.
"We will continue to rise to the challenge and the first minister has already confirmed that the Scottish government plans to establish a new and more testing 2020 target.
"We are not complacent and we will continue to take action and encourage others to do their bit to tackle climate change."
The government said the statistics showed that Scotland had outperformed the rest of the UK as a whole.
There was a 39.5% drop in Scottish source emissions between 1990 and 2014, compared to the UK's 33% reduction over the same period.
In March this year, the UN climate change secretary praised Scotland's progress on climate change as "exemplary".
Christiana Figueres told BBC Scotland that she was impressed by the pace of change, and described the reduction in emissions since 1990 as "quite impressive".
In the same month the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) - which advises the Scottish government - said Scotland must accelerate efforts to reduce carbon emissions if it was to remain an example to the rest of the UK.
'Great relief'
The CCC said changes to the EU's emissions trading system would have the effect of making Scotland's targets for 2014-2016 easier to meet.
But it said the country had "made good progress in reducing its emissions to date".
Environmental campaigners have called for the Scottish government to consider a 56% reduction in emissions by 2020 as an updated target in its forthcoming climate change bill.
Speaking ahead of the publication of latest figures, Scottish Labour's Claudia Beamish said it was a "great relief that the the Scottish government looks finally to have met its targets after four years of failure", but warned against complacency.
And Mark Ruskell of the Scottish Greens said the country had not yet seen "transformational policy and investment in energy efficient homes and sustainable transport".
The Scottish government will give a ministerial statement on greenhouse gas emissions at about 14:40, watch it live at Holyrood Live..