The Scottish government is to press Europe to set more ambitious climate change targets and promote the drive for low-carbon technologies.
Scotland's Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham will meet Connie Hedegaard, the EU Climate Action Commissioner, in Brussels tomorrow.
Ms Cunningham will press the case for more ambitious EU climate change targets, by calling for the EU's current 2020 carbon emission reductions commitment to be upped from 20 per cent to 30 per cent.
Speaking ahead of her departure, Ms Cunningham said: "In Scotland we have the most ambitious climate change targets in the world, as we seek to reduce Scotland's carbon emissions by 42 per cent by 2020 and at least 80 per cent by 2050. Quite rightly, we are seen internationally as a leader in the transition to a low carbon future.
"We want the EU to rise to Scotland's challenge and demonstrate real leadership by setting tougher targets, which would help fast-track the economic benefits that a low carbon global economy would deliver.
"I will be sharing with the Commissioner that Scotland has massive green energy potential. We have an estimated quarter of Europe's wind and tidal energy capacity and a tenth of its wave resource, and Scotland has a major renewable energy programme underway. Therefore, Scotland is ideally positioned to be an international destination for low carbon investment.
"Scotland is now more than half way towards reaching our 2020 emission reductions target, which is driving the development of new technologies and approaches. Our Low Carbon Economic Strategy highlights that we could almost double the number of jobs in the low carbon economy to 130,000, while attracting billions of pounds of new investment to Scotland."
Ms Cunningham will meet Commissioner Hedegaard on Tuesday at the European Commission in Brussels.
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