SNP must come clean on oil and gas climate test plans
The SNP must level with the people of Scotland and lay out the details of their plans for a ‘climate compatibility test’ on new oil and gas exploration, says Scottish Green Co-leader Lorna Slater.
The Scottish Government’s draft energy plan, published in 2023, reflected long-standing Scottish Green policies for an end to coal mining, a presumption against new oil and gas drilling, and delivering a just transition to clean renewable energy in Scotland’s efforts to reach net zero.
Since the Bute House Agreement ended the SNP have moved towards a policy of applying a ‘climate compatibility test’ for all new licences.
Ms Slater said: “There is no amount of new fossil fuel exploration that is compatible with the scale of climate action we need to take. It’s not just the Scottish Greens who are saying this, it is the International Energy Agency and climate scientists around the world.
“The UK government used all of the same rhetoric and distractions when they were signing off on the 300 million barrel Rosebank oil field. They even did their own phoney assessments. It is deeply regrettable that the SNP appears to be using the same playbook. It’s time for them to come clean and level with the people of Scotland
“The reality is that drilling for oil and gas will always be a destructive act, and there is no remotely credible climate compatibility test that could allow even more of it.
“We’re in a climate emergency, and our governments need to start acting like it. That means stopping the doublespeak, urgently ramping up investment in clean, green energy and the renewable industries of the future and ensuring a just transition that works for our climate and our communities."
