The committee had reinforced the importance of making progress and made several recommendations to ensure effective governance arrangements were in place to build and deliver the net zero strategy and action plan.

Members at yesterday’s full council meeting noted that a fully-costed action plan will be developed for consideration by 14 December 2023.

The long-term gains of taking a climate-first approach often come with high additional upfront costs, but Highland Council convener, Councillor Bill Lobban, highlighted the importance of a proactive approach which could alleviate greater pressure in the future.

He said: “Councils need to align their investments with the decarbonisation of infrastructure, fleet, heat technology and buildings and help with skills and project development to keep pace with the net zero agenda. Investing at this point will avoid the Council facing far greater additional costs in the future.

“Several public and private funding streams are contingent on a just transition to a net zero economy. Therefore, there is significant potential for the Council to leverage public and private investment to meet our climate change ambitions.”

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 and the subsequent Climate Change (Emissions Reductions Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 introduced binding targets and legislation to reduce Scotland’s greenhouse gases emissions to net-zero by 2045 and provides the statutory framework for greenhouse gas emissions reductions in Scotland.

The council has several requirements in respect of reporting against its climate change obligations, in addition to being required to directly support Scotland’s target to end its contribution to climate change no later than 2045.

The approval by members of the council’s net zero strategy outlines the council’s approach and how it will address the climate and ecological emergency which it declared back in 2019.