Recommendation 10

This is the first Climate Change Plan to include estimates of the costs and benefits of the transition. This amounts to progress and is welcome: it partially improves our understanding about the levels of investment required and what mitigation policies might produce savings, and at what level. However data and assumptions, and information on modelling, is presented inconsistently in the Plan and key information is often missing. The Committee recommends that the final Plan should:
Provide more of the underlying data used for its modelling and outline how the modelling was used to produce cost and benefit estimates.
Especially in cases where the Scottish Government lacks significant agency in relation to a particular policy or outcome (an example might be how the affordability of electric vehicles could affect take-up), set out any significant uncertainties and risks and how they have sought to address these.
Overall, the Scottish Government should welcome informed commentary and constructive criticism on the data and assumptions from policy experts (even if it cannot be provided within the period of Parliamentary scrutiny) recognising the iterative nature of climate change policy-making.