Ground-breaking study reveals Scotland’s future after oil and gas
A ground-breaking new study, welcomed by the Scottish Greens, has highlighted the need to capitalise on economic opportunities in the transition away from oil and gas.
The independent study, commissioned as part of the Bute House Agreement between the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Government, found that tens of thousands of jobs, and massive economic development, could be created in low carbon sectors if the proper planning and investment was put in place.
The importance of early action was demonstrated in the report with data on the inevitable decline of North Sea oil and gas, noting that “jobs and GVA contribution will reduce as the decline continues.”
Mark Ruskell MSP, Scottish Greens environment and climate spokesperson, said:
“Those who see continued growth of oil and gas in the North Sea are living in a dreamland. They need to engage with the reality that this ground-breaking, in-depth study uncovers.
“Produced by world leading experts, it shows that while the North Sea is in inevitable long-term decline, the opportunity is there to replace and create even more jobs in low carbon sectors. The study maps out a pathway to a managed decline of oil and gas that is forward-looking, fair and just, and will prevent the kind of economic devastation we saw in the 1980s when the UK government failed to plan what would come next for communities and workers.
“The study also destroys the myth that expanding oil and gas licensing will make Scotland more energy secure, because most of our fossil fuels are exported onto a global market. It’s clear that to meet our climate commitments there is no alternative but to abandon the expansion of oil and gas and work to realise the huge economic potential of renewables.
“I’m delighted that this work has come from the Bute House Agreement struck between the Greens and the Scottish Government, it should provide the backbone to the Government’s growing understanding of the scale of the challenge and the opportunities ahead.”