Scottish Green Hub - Volume One: IPCC report, Iraq War and Republicanism
The morning after the day before. Today we look ahead at what's next following the publication of the IPCC Synthesis report on our climate futures, a document involving around 195 leading scientists from around the world.
Their conclusions: We’re on thin ice, we know the answers to the solutions, we now need to deliver them. Mark Ruskell MSP, our spokesperson on climate issues, was clear in his response which you can read here. As a nation we need the political will to take action on the kind of changes we need, from ending fossil fuels to setting meaningful targets. You can also listen to what he had to say at our SoundCloud page here.
With the election of Scotland’s next First Minister imminent, our Co-Leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie called on them to lead a ‘Climate Parliament’, one that would put people planet beyond political tribalism. Any credible candidate will need to rise to the challenges laid out by the IPCC, they said. Their joint statement can be read in full here.
That echoes the sentiments of Ariane Burgess MSP who in First Ministers Question last week forced the point that the both the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields should be stopped, if Scotland is to show true climate leadership.
An interesting morning to view how UK media covered the report’s launch. While the likes of The Guardian and The i carried articles and gave due prominence on their websites, only the Daily Record actually splashed on the story, an interesting development given they also recently also appointed a dedicated climate correspondent.
Lots of reflections in the media too about 20 years of former Labour leader Tony Blair leading the UK into war in Iraq and the consequences that followed, prompting our external affairs spokesperson Ross Greer MSP to ask, while it is right for Vladimir Putin to be indicted for war crimes over Ukraine, what about George Bush and Blair?
Speaking of crime, Maggie Chapman has been discussing just what changes are needed to the justice system here in Scotland. Put simply, she says there is a great deal of work still needing done.
Coming up:
- Spring Conference is this coming Saturday in Clydebank. If you are going along we look forward to seeing you, otherwise you can follow on our social channels and online. We'll nbe postionh more details soon Watch out too for some changes coming to the website.
- On Monday, of course, we find out who will be nominated as the new First Minister of Scotland. We'll be meeting on the day to discuss our response, so watch you emails and socials for updates to come.
- We're also holding an event in April to discuss Scottish Republicanism, so save the date, Sunday, April 23.