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The climate crisis is bigger than any political party, we must all work together

All parties must work together to tackle climate breakdown.

All political parties and leaders need to put their differences to one side, stand together and be ambitious if we are to live up to the scale of the climate crisis, says Scottish Green climate spokesperson, Mark Ruskell.

The call comes ahead of a cross party climate summit hosted today by First Minister Humza Yousaf to discuss the Scottish Government’s climate ambitions at home and abroad. 

The talks will be attended by Scottish Green co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie, with all Scottish political leaders invited, as well as the Chief Executive of the UK Climate Change Committee, Chris Stark.

Mr Ruskell said: “This is a bold and important step by the First Minister, and I commend him for it. I hope it can be a turning point in building consensus and delivering the scale of climate action that is badly needed.

“This is the defining environmental challenge of our age, and it requires all parties to work together in good faith. We all need to put our short-term differences and party interests to one side and stand together if we are to make the crucial shift from fossil fuels to the clean, green and renewable industries of the future.

“Our climate is much bigger than any party. We will only ever have one environment, so we must do all we can to protect it

“From phasing out fossil fuels to revolutionising the way we heat our buildings and reducing our dependence on aviation, these are all major long term challenges that need long term plans.

“2023 was the world’s warmest year on record. We can’t afford many more. We all need to be prepared to be ambitious, work across party lines and step out of our comfort zones, and today’s summit can be an important step in that process.

“History will judge the decisions we make and those who make them. Scotland has vast resources and a renewable potential that any country would envy. We need to ensure that we use it and that we lead by example in our transition to a fairer, greener future.”