FMQs: Investment needed to create thousands of green jobs
Scotland can tackle the climate crisis, build a thriving renewable energy industry and develop the green jobs we need at the heart of our economic recovery, said Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie MSP.
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions this afternoon Mr Harvie highlighted a report from the STUC which warned that the failure to support a Scottish renewable energy industry means that those green jobs will not materialise, as turbines and other gear will just be imported.
Patrick Harvie said:
“For the second year in a row the Scottish Government announced yesterday that it has missed its climate targets. It wasn’t even a near miss - emissions actually went up instead of down.
“The Government never misses an opportunity to congratulate itself for its ‘world-leading’ targets, but it now needs to face up to the reality – it has not been taking the steps needed to meet them.
“Scotland can tackle the climate crisis and build a thriving renewable energy industry and develop the green jobs we need at the heart of our economic recovery.
“But the STUC warned that the failure to support a Scottish renewable energy industry means that those green jobs will not materialise, as turbines and other gear will just be imported.
“The First Minister cannot tell us when her government will start hitting its climate targets, nor what substantial measures it will take to support the creation of jobs in Scotland’s renewable energy industry. Urgent action is needed to build the fairer, greener Scotland that the First Minister has so often promised.”