By Dan Paris is director of policy and engagement at Scottish Environment LINK
Scotland and nature are in many ways inseparable: our landscapes, our wildlife, and our seas are all at the heart of our shared culture and identity, and people come here from all around the world to see the wonders we enjoy on our doorsteps.
But our natural environment is nowhere near healthy. We face enormous risks from climate change, from the dramatic impacts of wildfires and extreme storms to the slower but very real threats of habitat loss and species decline. These risks come on top of longer historic declines which have left Scotland one of the most ecologically degraded countries in the world. Nature in Scotland could be so much richer than it is right now.
The Natural Environment Act aims to change this. The next Scottish Government will be required to set legal targets to restore biodiversity, putting nature protection on the same priority status as tackling climate change. These targets are urgent: Ministers have said that they intend to stop biodiversity loss by 2030 and significantly restore nature by 2045. That is no simple task.
Despite those looming deadlines, in the heat of an election campaign, the future of the planet has been pretty low profile. The thinktank Future Economy Scotland’s assessment of party manifestos was lukewarm on climate and nature commitments. The political debate around climate has centred on oil and gas – and, to be frank, has felt completely detached from the reality of the current energy crisis and the global transition away from hydrocarbons.
Things have changed since the UN climate summit brought thousands to Glasgow’s streets and the moral case made by school strikers kept the environment at the top of the political agenda. War, political instability, and the cost of living have altered the political context. At this election, for the first time, we will have MSPs elected on an explicitly anti-Net Zero platform.
But the supposed end of political consensus on the environment has been massively overstated. Despite a well-funded and very deliberate attempt to turn climate change into a wedge issue, all evidence shows that the vast majority of people across Scotland and the UK remain concerned about its impact and want government to act.
Polling shows that this will be reflected in this week’s election, with parties committed to meeting climate and nature targets expected to make up the overwhelming majority of MSPs. Even among those parties who are hostile to Net Zero, it is wrong to assume their voters share their enthusiasm. Research conducted last year by Diffley Partnership found that both Reform and Conservative supporters support greater climate action by two to one.
Most of the public want to protect the planet, and most of the politicians they elect say they’ll do so.
The next Scottish Government needs to block out the noise and focus on delivering what matters – otherwise the impact of climate change and nature loss will become even more disruptive in coming years.
This article was first published in The National on the 6th of May, 2026.