Ariane Burgess has accused the Scottish Government of “slowing down when the country needs to speed up,” warning that weakened commitments on peatland restoration risk undermining Scotland’s climate ambitions and the trust of young people.
More than a quarter of Scotland is peatland, stretching across 1.6 million hectares of ground that should act as one of the nation’s most powerful natural allies in the fight against climate change.
Eighty per cent of that land is classified as degraded.
Much of it lies across the Highlands and Islands, including within the Flow Country, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Europe’s greatest carbon stores.
Degraded peatland releases carbon instead of storing it.
It also struggles to hold water, leaving communities more vulnerable to flooding and reducing the resilience of fragile landscapes facing rising temperatures and more extreme weather.
At First Minister’s Questions this week, Burgess challenged John Swinney on the Government’s new long-term plan to restore 400,000 hectares of peatland by 2040.
The target itself remains substantial, but the timetable for delivering it represents a clear step back from the ambition previously set for 2030.
Burgess told Parliament that degraded peatlands were “one of our largest single sources of emissions” and warned that Scotland could not meet its climate or nature goals without accelerating restoration.
“Increasing restoration by only 10 per cent a year is a major deceleration compared to the previous 2030 target,” she said.
“Why is this Government going backwards on such a key policy while claiming to do more for climate and nature?”
The First Minister said a detailed route map would be published by the end of 2025, outlining how the 2040 target would be met.
After the session, Burgess said she feared the Government was “rowing back at the very moment Scotland needs to move forward.”
“Peatlands are essential to cutting emissions and protecting our communities from the worst impacts of climate change,” she said.
“We should be accelerating the work, not kicking the can down the road.”
Her concerns are echoed by Scottish Green Co-leader Gillian Mackay, who has warned that weakening climate policies risks alienating a generation of young Scots.
Speaking ahead of the Glasgow Climate March, Mackay said the Government’s latest climate plan “did not feel like it was written for an emergency,” arguing that it offered “small steps when big strides are needed.”
She also criticised ministers for refusing to take a clear stance against drilling at Rosebank, Scotland’s largest untapped oil and gas field, after the SNP backed an amendment that avoided a direct position.
Mackay said the Government risked “losing the trust of a generation” unless it renewed its commitment to bold climate leadership.
“The consequences of inaction are grave,” she said.
“We only have one planet, and young people know it.”
Environmental groups have long argued that peatland restoration remains one of the fastest, cheapest and most effective ways for Scotland to cut emissions.
For communities across the Highlands and Islands, it also offers protection against flooding and the chance to support new green jobs tied to land management and ecological repair.
Burgess says those benefits are too important to be delayed.
“Now is the moment for urgency,” she said.
“Scotland cannot afford to let its most valuable natural assets slip further into decline.”
