Labour need more ambition to tackle the climate emergency say Scottish Greens
The Scottish Greens have demanded more ambition from the new Energy Secretary.
Ed Miliband’s announcement on new oil and gas licences comes after years of campaigning from Scottish Greens and environmental campaigners, but fails to revoke the over 100 licences granted by the Tories in the last 12 months of their Government.
It also fails to tackle the colossal profiteering the fossil fuel giants are making from our common future.
Scottish Greens Net Zero spokesperson, Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“There is no amount of new fossil fuel exploration that is compatible with the scale of climate action we need to take.
“Today’s announcement from the UK Government is an overdue step in the right direction, but we really must see more ambition towards a Just Transition for workers and communities in Scotland.
“We must also challenge the new Energy Secretary on Rosebank and other recent licences. If he really wants to tackle the climate emergency then he must now revoke the over 100 licences granted under the Tories, putting an end to these projects of environmental vandalism.
“Keeping these licences in place is simply incompatible with keeping the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.
“Just a matter of months ago, Scottish Labour MSPs were condemning the approval of the Rosebank field as a “climate wrecking” decision, and joining the Greens in calling for its reversal, but this announcement makes no attempt to scrap the disastrous plans.
“As it stands, Labour have made no move to stop the oil and gas giants extracting huge amounts of wealth from the North Sea and pocketing the proceeds of Tory tax cuts while local households are left in fuel poverty.
“Labour needs to step up and end the tax cuts and ensure the industry pays fair taxes so it can be invested in public services and local communities across Scotland.”