Scottish gas emissions drop by 7%

The Scottish Government's target of reducing greenhouse emissions by 42% by 2020 has helped bring about a 7% in a year, according to official figures.

Between 2008 and 2009, there was a fall in greenhouse gas emissions in all categories except forestry, which saw a slight increase of 1%.

Industry emissions saw the largest fall of 12%, with international aviation and shipping down by 7%.

Other areas which have experienced drop in emissions include residential homes (6%), waste management and transport (4%) and development and agriculture (1%).

The overall annual drop in emissions accounts to 3.8 million tonnes. Since 1990, greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland have fallen by 28.9%.

Climate change minister Stewart Stevenson said: "These figures demonstrate continued progress towards achieving our world-leading climate-change targets."

But some campaigners have urged caution as they feel that recession has contributed to the drop in emissions suggesting that it may increase again.

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