THE international community must match Scotland??s world-leading climate change ambitions to tackle global warming, the Environment Minister has said.

THE international community must match Scotland??s world-leading climate change ambitions to tackle global warming, the Environment Minister has said.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Aileen McLeod will travel to Lima in Peru today to take part in UN climate talks aimed at creating a new global climate treaty next year.

It comes just days after official estimates that 2014 will be the warmest year on record with man-made greenhouse gases causing the rise in temperatures.

Dr McLeod said: ??The scientific evidence could not be clearer. The world is getting warmer and greenhouse gas emissions from mankind are extremely likely to be the dominant cause of climate change.

??That is why I am taking a very strong message to the UN meeting in Lima that the international community must match Scotland??s world-leading climate change ambitions."

She said the Scottish Government takes climate change "extremely seriously" and she said "solid progress" had been made towards achieving a 42 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020 from a 1990 baseline.

She added: "We have committed almost £1 billion of Scottish Government funding over the next two years for climate change action.

??We know our targets are not easy but they are at the level the international community needs to match if the new climate treaty in Paris next year is to stand a good chance of limiting global temperature rise to no more than two degrees Celsius.

??By sharing Scotland??s high ambition on climate change with the international delegates attending this crucial summit in Peru, we will show that substantial progress on cutting emissions is do-able as well as desirable.??

Dr McLeod will spend three days at the UN conference in Lima.

Tom Ballantine, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland Chair, said: ??Attendance from the Scottish Climate Minister should send a positive signal to the international community about Scottish political commitment to taking action on climate change. We continue to share Scotland??s climate action story abroad and work to realise its full potential at home.??