SCOTTISH ministers have signed five international agreements aimed at decarbonising the transport sector, including moving to electric cars.

Transport minister Graeme Dey said Scotland has already committed to "going further and in some cases, faster" than the agreed deals.

They include working towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero-emission by 2040, and by no later than 2035 in leading markets.

Another commits to all light-duty public fleet vehicles being zero-emission by 2035, with signatories also encouraged to adopt targets such as the Scottish Government’s aim to cut car kilometres by 20 per cent by 2030.

A further agreement supports a full transition to zero-emission medium and heavy duty vehicles by 2040, while another commits to converting owned and existing fleets to zero-emission vehicles.

Elsewhere, countries pledged to support the transition to electric vehicles by accelerating the timely deployment of charging infrastructure.

Mr Dey said: “We want travel in Scotland to be clean and green. Our ambition means that we are already committed to going further and in some cases, faster than some of the agreements concluded during COP26. 

"Our hope is that our leadership and willingness to share and to keep learning from others in this space will help push the international decarbonisation effort further and faster too.

“The focus during COP26 has been on electric vehicles and of course they have a role to play, but we know here in Scotland that we need to reduce private car use and support a just transition towards sustainable transport, where no one is left behind, in order to meet our stretching targets.

“I’m proud that our world-leading commitment to reduce car kilometres travelled by 20% by 2030 has been integrated into the Under2 Coalition Leaders Action Document. 

"The inclusion of this commitment is a clear example of Scotland’s ambition setting the bar globally on the steps that can be taken to reduce transport emissions.

“Here in Scotland, we’re supporting this commitment by offering free bus travel for people under the age of 22, by providing over half a billion pounds for bus priority infrastructure and through a near tripling of the active travel budget to record levels of £320 million by the end of this parliament.

“With the inclusion of our world leading kilometre reduction commitment in the Under2 Leaders Action Document – we’re reminding countries right across the world of the considered approaches, already underway here in Scotland, that are required to end the negative contribution of transport to damaging and irreversible climate change whilst improving lives.”

The Under2 Coalition is a global community of state and regional governments committed to climate action in line with the Paris Agreement.

Members represent almost two billion people and 50% of the global economy.