FOR some years now Scotland has led UK efforts to be greener and cleaner, setting itself ambitious greenhouse gas emissions targets and being at the forefront of green technologies.

News that the country has met its annual climate change target is, therefore, both welcome and expected. The latest figures also show, however, that in 2015, the most recent year for which statistics are available, emissions actually rose by 1.8 per cent on the previous 12 months.

To be clear, this is a small increase, and Scotland is still very much on track to meet the 2020 target of reducing emissions by at least 42 per cent.

But it highlights that progress on climate change cannot be taken for granted, even by countries actively engaged in reducing their emissions. It also underlines the importance of global action, a concept made even tougher by US President Donald Trump’s recent declaration that he will not be signing the Paris agreement.

Scotland still outperforms the UK as a whole on emissions and the Scottish Government is right to continue to pursue this approach, especially since the evidence shows green energy results in not only cleaner air and better health, but also more jobs.

These latest results are surely a reminder that we must guard against complacency and build on our climate change credentials. A greener, cleaner future is, after all, in all our interests.