2026 elections in Scotland: what are the parties saying on climate and nature?
See how our experts assessed the main parties’ green policies.
On 7th May, there are elections across Scotland for seats in the Scottish Parliament. So what have all the political parties promised to do to tackle the climate and nature emergency in Scotland? Greenpeace has analysed the manifestos and provided this helpful guide ahead of polling day.
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Who should I vote for?
Scotland uses the Additional Member System to elect Members of the Scottish Parliament. In this system, you have two votes: one vote determines who represents you locally, and the candidate with the highest number of votes wins. The second vote is for your preferred political party. The remaining number of seats are determined proportionally, to make the Parliament better reflect how people have voted across the country.
How you decide to vote depends on what matters most to you. We’ve produced a summary of each of the manifestoes to break down some of the key commitments each party has made on nature and climate.
Party manifestos
See the best and worst bits of the manifestos. Where did each party deliver, and where did they fall short?
Conservative Party
Strengths
- Vague commitments on improving bus connectivity and rail services.
Weaknesses
- Removing funding for renewables and scrapping support for workers who are leaving the declining fossil fuel industry to transition into green jobs.
- Cutting the budget for active travel in order to redirect funding to new road infrastructure.
- Ending rewilding projects
- Nothing to tackle the scourge of sewage and agricultural pollution entering waterways.
Greenpeace analysis: Would pour fuel on the fire of the climate emergency
There is not much conservation to be seen in the Scottish Conservatives manifesto, in fact there are almost no policies at all that would benefit the climate or nature and a lot that would cause serious harm. It’s a sad read, full of opposition and resistance to clean energy and nature restoration schemes. The Conservatives are digging in their heels against anything which might deliver lower emissions and improve air quality (ending low emissions zones and funding for active travel) while being pro-cars, pro-roads and pro-air travel… There is also nothing on improving water quality, ending sewage spills or delivering better protections for nature. To add to the misery, this manifesto contains cruel policies such as only paying winter fuel payments to pensioners after seven consecutive days of average below-zero temperatures. When combined with an ideological resistance to net zero, that means refusing to invest in measures to insulate homes to keep people warm. It’s not clear who would benefit from the policies in this manifesto, but certainly not future generations or the planet on which we all depend!
Green Party
Strengths
- Plans to deliver net zero by 2045, immediately ending new oil and gas and boosting investment in renewables and grid infrastructure.
- Fully-funded worker-led just transition plans to make sure workers in declining fossil fuel industries can move into new green jobs.
- Big plans to boost public transport and active travel, including a long term plan to make buses free for everyone.
- Plans to ensure all rivers and lochs are clean and safe, including by tackling agricultural pollution and sewage overflows.
Weaknesses
- No policies to reduce unnecessary single-use plastic or improve recycling through a Deposit Return Scheme.
- While the manifesto has policies to incentivise nature-friendly farming practices, there are no policies to phase out the use of harmful pesticides and fertilisers.
Greenpeace analysis: Future focused plans for people and planet
A super strong manifesto for climate and nature from the Scottish Greens. There are plans for a coordinated climate action delivery programme to cover transport, energy, farming and housing to achieve net zero by 2045. There are plans for increased investment (£600m) in a range of renewables, above the current investment plan in Scotland, as well as investment into the planning system to ensure renewable energy can reach all of Scotland. There is commitment to introduce new legislation to ensure safe, clean rivers and lochs across all of Scotland. There are plans to invest in nature friendly farming, both financially and with skills development. There are also plans to boost regenerative and sustainable food production. If properly implemented, this manifesto offers a bright future for both the people of Scotland, as well as the land, air and water on which we all depend.
Labour Party
Strengths
- Clear commitment to achieve net zero by 2045 and will produce a roadmap for delivery. This includes investment into community owned energy.
- Plans to improve and increase public transport and electrify the railways.
- Will use powers from the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act to set out a route to nature restoration.
- Commits to rolling out a Deposit Return Scheme to improve recycling and re-use rates.
Weaknesses
- No clear plan or strategy for flood mitigation
- Nothing on funding for active travel or electric vehicles.
- No plans to improve water quality in rivers and lakes or to eliminate sewage spills and agricultural pollution.
Greenpeace analysis: Promising but patchy
Scottish Labour could learn a lot from their Welsh pals, whose manifesto was much stronger for climate and nature… this manifesto is an inconsistent array of policies – some great commitments to delivering renewable energy at scale and pace, as well as a commitment to deliver net zero by 2045, but no strategy to tackle flooding, very little to address pollution and sewage in water, and under-developed plans for sustainable farming. On the big issue of drilling for oil and gas from the North Sea, Scottish Labour has rolled out the “oil and gas production will continue in the North Sea for decades to come” line used so regularly by Keir Starmer… If Scottish Labour is committed to net zero by 2045, producing oil and gas for ‘decades to come’ cannot be part of that strategy.
Liberal Democrats
Strengths
- Clear and comprehensive plans to achieve net zero by 2045.
- A strong package of measures to increase and electrify public transport in Scotland and boost active travel (walking, cycling and wheeling).
- Plans to reduce fuel poverty through social tariffs for energy, as well as an emergency insulation scheme to keep homes warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer and reduce energy usage.
Weaknesses
- No specific plans to restore biodiversity across Scotland.
- Nothing on ocean protection or sustainable fishing.
- Farming policies are both vague and worrying!
Greenpeace analysis: Warm words, but light on detail and funding commitments
There are some strong commitments on climate here. But overall, the Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto is a lesson in how to say a lot, without really saying very much at all. There is a consistent lack of specificity, targets or funding commitments. While statements such as, “by protecting and enhancing habitats we will halt and begin to reverse the decline of nature” sound lovely, the Scottish Lib Dems seem to have forgotten that the manifesto is the place to set out what that statement actually means in policy terms. The manifesto talks of the importance of sustainable farming, however the policies to back it up are sorely lacking. Instead there is a commitment to allow farmers to use gene-editing technology and a promise to support farmers to access fertilisers, rather than to support them to transition to less toxic farming practices which would improve nature and food security.
Reform UK
Strengths
- Vague commitment to invest in rail improvements and bus services.
Weaknesses
- Reform would scrap all net zero targets and climate commitments, including plans to ensure workers in declining industries receive support and training for new jobs in green industries.
- Nothing on flood mitigation
- Nothing on improving water and air quality.
- Nothing on protecting and restoring nature.
- Nothing on sustainable and nature friendly farming.
Greenpeace analysis: Utterly out of touch with reality
The Scottish Reform manifesto is to climate and nature what a snooze button would be to a fire alarm. The manifesto says that Reform in Scotland would “prepare to rehabilitate North Sea gas as our primary energy system” and reduce bills. Perhaps Reform’s manifesto writers were unaffected by the gas price spikes caused by Putin’s war in Ukraine, or Trump’s war in Iran… Perhaps they were unaware that renewable energy peaked at nine times cheaper than gas? Perhaps also, they were unaware that the best way to reduce energy bills is to make our buildings more energy efficient? There are no measures in this manifesto to increase energy efficiency through insulating Scottish homes and buildings. The manifesto is equally weak on nature. There is nothing on water quality, air pollution or restoring nature. The only mention of the ocean is to roll back on monitoring of trawling vessels, which is crucial for protecting marine wildlife.
Scottish Nationalist Party
Strengths
- Strong commitment to tackling climate change including plans to reach net zero in Scotland by 2045.
- Commitment to deliver £500 million to ensure workers across Scotland receive support and training to transition into clean jobs.
- Tiered support for nature-friendly farming to promote sustainable food production and restore nature.
Weaknesses
- No policies to protect the ocean or marine habitats.
- No policies to tackle plastic pollution – no mention of a Deposit Return Scheme to boost recycling and re-use rates, or plans to phase out unnecessary single-use plastics.
- No plans to improve water quality in Scotland and address sewage spills.
Greenpeace analysis: Strong climate plans, but what about nature?
The commitment to tackling climate change comes through loud and clear throughout this manifesto from the SNP, as do the specific policies to achieve that commitment. There are strong, comprehensive measures on transport and community energy, as well as jobs and sustainable farming to benefit the climate and environment… which is why it’s disappointing to see the SNP not have much of an offer for improving water quality and marine environments. On the question of the North Sea – while the SNP set out strong transition plans, they state that oil and gas projects will be taken on a ‘case-by-case basis’ “for as long as Scotland needs oil and gas”… this doesn’t fill us with confidence. Overall however, this manifesto goes a long way for climate and nature in Scotland.
How did Greenpeace produce this guide?
To produce this guide, we first created a list of the 16 most important things the Scottish Parliament could do for climate and nature. These are separated into four main areas: climate and energy; homes and transport; justice and democracy; and nature and the environment.
We used this list to compare the commitments in each party’s manifesto. See the full criteria and detailed analysis here.
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