Future windfall taxes must pay for a renewables revolution beyond oil and gas
Future windfall taxes on Scotland’s oil and gas industry must be used to fund jobs and careers in the renewables revolution and speed up the shift away from fossil fuels - not to bankroll nuclear energy programmes in England or create a smokescreen for further oil and gas exploration, say the Scottish Greens.
That must go hand in hand with building a workforce for the future that can take full advantage of the opportunities cleaner, greener energy can bring in a Just Transition, including decarbonising industry, home heating and transport solutions.
Scottish Greens climate and energy spokesperson Mark Ruskell MSP called for Scotland to embrace a more sustainable future, not one based on climate-wrecking oil and gas or ill thought out proposals over nuclear which are costly, risky and will take decades to manage.
Mr Ruskell said: “Scottish Greens have consistently and unequivocally called for an end to new oil and gas exploration licences and a proper windfall tax without loopholes that can support a just transition to a fairer, greener and brighter future.
“We stand by that. These companies are raking in billions of pounds in profits while our climate is being destroyed.
“The workers and communities that have driven the oil and gas sectors have a particularly crucial role, and must be at the heart of that transition.
“But it doesn’t mean, as Labour suggests, exploiting Scotland’s resources to fund vanity nuclear projects in England, and it certainly shouldn’t mean more exploration licences or ditching promises to invest in climate solutions.
“It must mean investing that profit into accelerating the creation of new jobs and renewable energy supply chains, giving oil and gas workers the confidence to train for the well paid skilled jobs of the future.
“But it won’t happen by itself. It needs proper support and, most of all, it needs political will. Whoever forms the next UK government must be prepared to make the big decisions that Sir Keir Starmer seems to be running away from.
“We are in an age of climate chaos and the longer we remain reliant on fossil fuels the worse it will be. The challenge for all of us is to move beyond oil and gas and towards a renewables-powered future.
“That means showing leadership, taking difficult decisions, and understanding that what we decide today will impact the future of our children and workers for generations to come, not just a single election cycle.
“The reality is that we don’t have time to waste. The years ahead will be vital if we are to mitigate the damage being done and avoid tipping even further into climate chaos.”
