To ask the Scottish Government what its priorities are for COP29, which will take place in Baku later this year. (S6O-03675)

Scotland is committed to playing our part at COPs, working with international partners to secure a global transition to a net zero and resilient future in a way that is fair and just for all.

Although our plans for COP29 are still being developed, we anticipate that they will focus on driving international action on equitable and transparent climate finance; using our leadership of Regions4 and the Under2 Coalition to build climate ambition and action; showcasing our net zero journey; and playing our part, as good global citizens, to advance international relations.

As is usual at COPs, in ensuring that the voices of women, young people and the global south are heard at COP29, Scotland will continue to play a bridging role across all those aims.

Scotland can rightly pride itself on being a pioneer of the loss and damage fund, as it became the first country in the global north to commit funds for loss and damage at COP26. By doing so, Scotland recognised that those in the global south are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis.

Does the cabinet secretary agree that, if the fight against climate injustice is to be meaningfully continued, not only must the loss and damage funds that were committed to at COP28 last year be distributed as quickly as possible to communities ravaged by the climate crisis, but that must be done in a way that does not further increase the debt burden for countries in the global south?

I absolutely agree. The Scottish Government’s climate justice approach recognises our moral responsibility to support vulnerable communities in the global south to address climate-induced loss and damage. The communities that are least responsible for the global climate crisis are often most severely affected by it.

Scotland welcomed the agreement at COP28 on operationalising the loss and damage fund of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. I recognise the fundamental role that Humza Yousaf played in that and the leadership that he has shown on loss and damage. The fund must be urgently mobilised to ensure rapid and equitable access to sufficient funding. It is crucial that a portion of the fund is ring-fenced to provide finance directly to communities in the form of grants, not loans. The urgency of the climate crisis and its disproportional impact demand that we act now.

I will take a couple of brief supplementary questions.

Given the sustained failure by the Scottish Government to meet our climate targets, would demonstrating how we could reduce our homes, buildings, transport and land emissions not be a fundamental contribution for us to make if we are to have credibility at COP29?

Sarah Boyack will hear no disagreement from me, except on her first point. We are demonstrating our credibility. The programme for government, which was announced yesterday, set out some of the actions are being taken not only in my portfolio but across many portfolios, including that of the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, who is sitting beside me, and in land use. A climate change bill will be brought to Parliament and a heat in buildings bill is also part of the programme for government.

Does the cabinet secretary think that the Scottish National Party Government can go to COP29 with a single ounce of credibility now that it has ditched its climate change targets and has this week diverted £460 million of ScotWind cash away from the climate emergency and towards filling the black hole in the SNP budget?

Mr Lumsden will not be surprised to hear that I do not agree in the slightest. We have already halved our emissions and have plans to do an awful lot more. We are bringing forward a new climate change bill that will mean we will have a credible plan towards 2045, as we always have done. This is a high priority for the First Minister and his Government. It is threaded through not only my portfolio but every single portfolio in Government and the action that must be taken will be taken across the board.