SCOTLAND has made an international pledge to help deliver the Paris Agreement on climate change, with 100 days to go until the COP26 conference comes to Glasgow.

The Scottish Government is understood to be the first administration that is not a formal party to the accord to publish an indicative Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) on how it plans to contribute to its goal of preventing global warming of more than 1.5 degrees.

As part of the agreement negotiated in Paris in 2015, signatories must publish NDCs – plans which set out the action they plan to take to contribute to the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees, with “further efforts” to limit it to no more than 1.5 degrees.

Scotland and the UK were previously part of a joint EU NDC, which includes EU-wide emissions targets and the UK Government published a UK-wide NDC in December last year.

Only parties to the Paris Agreement may submit NDCs, but the Scottish Government committed to publishing an indicative NDC as a sign of Scotland’s commitment to joining and leading the international effort on tackling climate change.

Its publication today was a 100 day commitment for the government.

The indicative NDC reflects Scotland’s distinctive framework of statutory emissions reduction targets, in particular our world-leading 2030 target to reduce emissions of all major greenhouse gases by at least 75%.

READ MORE: Around 10,000 police to be deployed everyday at COP26 as protests expected

It also sets out Scotland’s approach to achieving the ambitious targets, with a commitment to delivering a just transition at its heart.

Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport said: “With COP26 coming to Glasgow, Scotland has a unique opportunity to show leadership on climate action on the international stage.

“I’m proud to publish this pledge, setting out how Scotland is contributing to the global aims of the Paris Agreement.

“By highlighting our own action, we hope to inspire others to raise their ambition.

“COP26 represents the world's best chance – and possibly one of our last chances – to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

“We are working hard with our delivery partners to make sure the event is safe and secure and to create a platform for agreeing decisive climate action.”

The Scottish Government’s 37-page indicative NDC says it is committed to raising global climate ambition at all levels across all sections of society, and hopes it will encourage others to set out their policies and to support increased ambition and action individually and collectively.

“The scale, scope and speed of the transformation that is required and to which Scotland is committed brings significant challenges, but anything less would be to fail our people and planet,” the documents reads.

“Our aim is that setting out our framework and commitments on climate mitigation and adaptation in this way can support the learning, openness and working alongside each other we all require, as together we can tackle those challenges and move to a Net Zero, fairer and more sustainable future ... Scotland recognises climate change as a human rights issue and action on climate change to be fundamentally important to the future prosperity of Scotland’s people and the planet.”