Demanding a just energy solution

The flight from fossil fuel use must not leave oil and gas industry workers and their communities stranded, writes Dr Richard Dixon

Weonlyneedtolookat the years of hardship in former mining communities across the Central Belt and Fife to see just what an unjust economic transition can look like.

The North Sea oil and gas sector will either plough on regardless until it crashes or – recognising that the industry needs to come to an end because it is fuelling the climate emergency – we can come up with a sensible plan to drive a just transition to help workers find new jobs and new futures within the affected communities.

On Tuesday, the Just Transition Commission published the results of more than two years’ work, looking at how we can move our economy away from fossil fuels in ways that are fair to workers and communities currently dependent on highcarbon industries.

We at Friends of the Earth helped set up the Just Transition partnership between unions and environment groups with the Scottish Trades Union Congress in 2016.

At first, the intention was to call for a Holyrood commission and then to follow its work and make input. Together, the partnership was determined that Scotland should meet its climate targets in a way that does not leave people and communities behind.

Following a commitment in 2018, the Just Transition Commission was set up by the Scottish Government the following year. Chaired by Professor Jim Skea, an academic climate and energy expert, it was made up of representatives from the unions, environmental groups, the oil and gas industry, energy companies, academia, fuel poverty interests and the farming sector. Over the course of the commission’s work, it talked to unions and workers, and held public meetings.

As you can imagine, the inclusion of members from the oil and gas industry drew criticism. To the sceptics, Just Transition appears to mean that the industry can just keep on pumping its oil and gas, but maybe – one day – capture some of the carbon in it.

Nonetheless, there is much to welcome in the report, especially its top recommendation that “pursuing an orderly, managed transition to netzero that creates benefits and opportunities for people across Scotland” should become a “national mission”.

The Just Transition Commission also recommend a pilot project for free public transport, a leadership role for the forthcoming publicly-owned energy company, more action to provide the training people need to make the transition from highcarbon to zero-carbon jobs, and the creations of a set of action plans.

The report stated that there needs to be a strong leadership role from government, but also a clear role for local communities on creating strategies.

But not all is as it should be. Not surprisingly – given its composition – the commission does not attach sufficient

More action to provide the training people need to make the transition from high-carbon to zerocarbon jobs is needed

urgency to change, talking about an end to oil and gas production in the space of a generation, when climate science says this should be more like just a decade.

Yesterday, the UK Government announced a deal that could see oil and gas production going on for decades.

There has been some limited progress from Holyrood during the years the commission has been doing its work, but there have also been missed opportunities. The updated Climate Change Plan, published just before Christmas, failed to spell out concrete action on a just transition, and the jobs lost to overseas competition at Bifab’s yards in Burntisland instead of being secured for nearby windfarm contracts.

The Just Transition Commission’s report must be seen as a strong and urgent agenda for action by the new government after May’s election. Dr Richard Dixon is director of Friends of the Earth Scotland