Aileen McLeod, SNP minister for the environment

The SNP have championed action on climate change. Scotland is a world leader on reducing carbon emissions – both in terms of our ambition and our record. In 2009 we set world leading targets to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2020, and by 80% by 2050.

With four years to go to 2020 the latest independent statistics show that Scotland’s emissions have already reduced by 38.4% since 1990 and that Scotland is on track to exceed our 42% target several years early. We are outperforming the UK as a whole and are one of the leading countries in Western Europe in terms of reducing emissions.

That is great news and is thanks to a huge effort by communities, businesses, individuals and families as well as by the SNP Government. Our efforts to date have been recognised by the UN, which described Scotland as “a shining example”, and by the UK Committee on Climate Change who said we are “among the world leaders”.

The SNP have also led the way on climate justice, establishing Scotland’s Climate Justice Fund – the first of its kind in the world - and have spent £6 million to date to help poor communities in the sub-Saharan countries of Malawi and Zambia adapt to the impacts of climate change. If re-elected the SNP will continue to champion action on climate change and will increase our Climate Justice Fund to at least £3 million per year for the life of the Parliament.

Sarah Boyack, Scottish Labour spokesperson for environmental justice

Labour will use the powers of our parliament to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food that we eat.

The worldwide consensus on climate change is clear: the last thing we need is another fossil fuel. That is why Labour would say loud and clear - no ifs, no buts, no fracking in Scotland.

The SNP have refused to rule out fracking in Scotland. In fact their energy minister said he expects a debate on the issue next year.

We’ve been here before with the SNP. They condemn something to win votes, freeze it for a period, order a big report and then go ahead and do it anyway. They did it with the council tax and all the signs suggest they are going to do it with fracking.

The SNP say their decision on fracking will be guided by reports that won't be published until after the election. Nicola Sturgeon now needs to come clean. If she is looking at the principle of fracking then why pay for reports looking at decommissioning? If the Scottish Government is not planning to allow fracking in Scotland, why is it researching how to clean up its aftermath?

It's time for the SNP to support Labour's call for an outright ban. The moratorium is not an outright ban; it’s only a temporary freeze. Scotland deserves answers before May 5 on whether or not the SNP will support an outright ban or whether they are leaving the door open for drilling.

Liam McArthur, Scottish LibDem energy spokesman

Scotland will be the best again on climate change by enacting bolder plans. Scottish Liberal Democrats will give a priority to warm homes, renewable heat, low-carbon transport as well as continued support for a diverse range of renewable electricity generation.

We will expand government actions to create warm homes and take it seriously as a National Infrastructure Priority. New initiatives will meet our aims on fuel poverty and climate change.

We will put a focus on renewable heat, adopt the first ever industrial heat strategy, and promote combined heat and power to use waste heat more effectively.

We will not permit fracking as it would open a new front on fossil fuels. We will end open-cast coal mining, given the devastating damage done to landscapes with little prospect of restoration.

To cut the carbon out of transport we will speed up rail journey times to the North East and Highlands, support extension of high speed rail into Scotland and develop contactless multi-mode payment for all public transport.

We will not support the surge in air transport pollution and the cuts to environmental programmes that would come from abolition of Air Passenger Duty.

We will promote the natural environment and take tougher action on wildlife crime.

Liberal Democrats say that the empowerment of individuals is not limited to the current generation. Future generations should have the same rights as we do to live their lives in the ways that they choose. That means we must pass on a sustainable legacy.

Murdo Fraser, Scottish Conservative Party deputy leader

Scotland is the most beautiful country in the world and we are all rightly proud to call it home. We have hundreds of natural wonders sitting on our doorstep – no matter where in Scotland we live. Our landscape attracts millions of tourists every single year, employing hundreds of thousands of Scots and making a contribution worth billions of pounds to our economy. That's precisely why the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party supports the creation of further national parks across Scotland. They would not only help protect some of our best landscape, but would also help attract more tourists and support local businesses. Our natural environment can only be supported through sustainable communities across Scotland and that's why it is crucial to develop better digital infrastructure, invest in transport links as well as affordable housing. However, nothing threatens our environment more than climate change. Scotland's parties are united in their support for the ambitious climate change targets, but we differ in our approach to meeting them. The Scottish Conservatives have always promoted measures that would improve energy efficiency, but progress in this area has been very slow. Upgrading it to a national infrastructure priority is a start, but we need to significantly boost funding too. Renewable heat is another area where progress has been painfully slow and we particularly need to do more to encourage district heating networks across urban and rural areas. It is our duty to support our natural environment, for Scotland today – and Scotland tomorrow – depends on it.

Mark Ruskell, Scottish Greens' environment spokesperson

Greens have been Holyrood’s boldest environmental champions since day one. From proposing the first climate change laws to defending our seas and air from pollution, to driving investment in warm homes or safer streets we have always challenged the cosy consensus to deliver change.

Grey parties will always put the environment in a box - arguing for more renewables one day then expansion of airports the next. We need the right choices for the environment every single day, especially if we are to drive the global fight to halt climate change, while creating jobs and tackling poverty.

I’m fed up with other parties flip-flopping on fracking - by introducing new laws we can keep the fracked gas we cannot afford to burn in the ground.

We need positive action to ban the pesticides that threaten wildlife and people while supporting a new generation of greener farmers through subsidy and land reform. A Food, Farming and Health Act would put a ‘right to food’ into law, eradicating food poverty and get people connected from field to plate.

That bold land reform agenda can also tip the balance for communities, so our treasured local greenspaces are protected from aggressive developers while incentivising housing on derelict land.

We can’t afford to wait while species fighting eradication like the beaver and mountain hare are massacred. We can’t afford to make climate-vulnerable communities wait because the SNP Government won’t prioritise enough flood protection schemes.

It’s time for a bolder, greener Holyrood, so make it happen.

Jack Ferguson, RISE Policy Unit for the Environmental

For RISE, it's obvious that more ethical business practices and summits of world leaders have not been enough to prevent the world being engulfed in ecological crisis. We believe that to combat climate change, we need system change.

Scotland can play a leading role in the global transformation to a sustainable society. To do so however, we must be prepared to tackle inequality and the free market. We would end austerity, instead pushing massive public investment towards creating 100,000 fairly paid green jobs. These would be doing things like building a new, publicly owned, renewable energy infrastructure, manufacturing green technology or protecting Scottish ecosystems.

Public services must be in public hands to ensure they work together to help de-carbonise Scotland. We would build 100,000 new public homes, ending our housing crisis. These would use the latest smart technologies to ensure minimal energy needs and maximum sustainability. We would take all of Scotland's public transport network back into public hands, creating a single nationally integrated system that was free for all users. The costs of these would be massively offset by savings from reduced air pollution, congestion and road accidents.

Scotland's grossly unequal pattern of land ownership has allowed the aristocracy to depopulate Scotland and turn huge estates into ecological deserts for their own amusement. We would end this with radical and far reaching land reform that would see land used by reinvigorated communities for sustainable agriculture and re-wilded to protect Scotland's biodiversity.

David Coburn, Ukip Scotland leader

Scotland has a huge range of different habitats and extensive biodiversity which makes it hard for government to create legislation that fits all. We will abolish excessive and unnecessary EU regulation and directives, replacing the current system of top down management with a system of individual stewardship.

So far the targets set by government are arbitrary and can have contrary effects on the environment and biodiversity. We will scrap targets regarding forestry, re-wilding and carbon emissions.

EU targets have destroyed Scottish heavy industry such as steel smelting and driven companies out of Scotland to the Far East where they can pollute at will. This neither helps the planet nor Scots trying to find a job. UKIP wants to keep heavy industry and jobs in Scotland where we can work with them to reduce pollution with technology.

Wind power is hopelessly inefficient, ruins our tourist industry and puts public money into the pockets of wealthy landowners and investors, while at the same time pushing up bills for pensioners and steel makers. UKIP are completely opposed to covering Scotland with inefficient Germany propellers. We need a mix of power and energy generation.

The EU Water Framework Directive has led to a lack of river dredging in Scotland resulting in catastrophic flooding. This directive might be suitable for sun dried Sardinia but not for Scotland. Decisions on dredging and environment should be left to Holyrood.