The Scottish Government has missed another key climate target - its ninth miss in the last 13 - though has still outperformed the rest of the UK.

Statistics released on Tuesday show a 50% drop in emissions between 1990 and 2022, well below the target laid out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act of 53.8%.

It comes after the government scrapped other targets, including a 75% reduction in emissions between 1990 and 2030, due it being "out of reach".

Despite missing another of its key ambitions, Scotland still outperformed all other UK nations.

In the same period, England reduced its emissions by 49%, Wales by 36.5% and Northern Ireland by 25.9%.

Mairi McAllan, Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, said: “These figures confirm that between 1990 and 2022, Scotland has achieved the largest reduction in emissions of any nation of the UK, led by significant decreases in emissions from electricity generation, waste and industry.

"At the same time, our economy has grown by 67% in real terms, demonstrating that tackling climate change and growing our economy go hand in hand.

"While this is good news, the emissions figures for the year 2022 alone reflect a similar picture to that of UK data overall and underline the scale of our vital but challenging task.

"We are now in the second half of our journey to net zero and our 2045 target is one of the most ambitious in the world. Action on climate change will require a genuine transformation across our economy and society, with significant changes in sectors such as heat in buildings, transport, energy and agriculture."

Meanwhile, Alex Cole-Hamilton, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, claimed the Greens were "all talk" when it comes to climate.

He said: "As a result, today’s figures show Scotland made no progress in reducing emissions in 2022. These targets cover the first full year that the Greens were in office, providing further evidence that they are all talk when it comes to the climate.

"Their inaction has been matched only by the Conservative [Westminster] government’s total failure to act with anything close to the speed or ambition these challenges demand."

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