First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to make an early decision on the date Scotland seeks to aspire to cut emissions output to zero.

In a keynote speech to the UN Climate Change Conference, COP23, in Bonn, Ms Sturgeon pointed to the Scottish Government’s commitment eight years ago to cut 2020 emissions by 42 per cent.

She said: “We are on course to meet that target and are now proposing to increase our ambition for the years beyond. That includes coming to an early decision on when we will aim to reach net zero emissions.

“Scotland will go further where we can – for example we have recently set an earlier target than the UK for phasing out new diesel and petrol cars.”