Industry fears as Sturgeon targets oil and gas sector in green speech
NICOLA Sturgeon sparked a row with the oil and gas industry yesterday after vowing to end Scotland’s reliance on fossil fuels as fast as possible.
In her most significant shift away from industry support, the First Minister said continued exploration was ‘wrong’.
It came as she called for the approved licence for the Cambo oil field in the North Sea to be ‘reassessed’.
Miss Sturgeon gave a speech at the University of Strathclyde in glasgow yesterday ahead of the UN climate change summit, where she will be cochair of the Under2 Coalition of states and regions.
the SNP’s economic case for independence was previously built on Scotland’s access to oil fields and Miss Sturgeon has yet to take a definitive position on Cambo.
Yesterday she said it was ‘tempting’ for politicians to argue exploitation of oil and gas ‘until the last possible moment’ was the simplest way to deal with demand.
Miss Sturgeon said: ‘that would be wrong. that approach would lead only to a vicious cycle of inaction and missed opportunity.’
earlier this month, the First Minister delivered a ted talk – an online forum for influential speakers – in which she claimed, when quizzed over Cambo, that Scotland must not become reliant on ‘imports’ of oil and gas.
But, yesterday she said: ‘the more we tell ourselves we will always have oil and gas as a safety net, the less motivated we are to speed up the development of the alternatives, to train people for new jobs in emerging technologies, and to deliver the just transition we need.
‘It’s an approach that cannot be justified in the face of the climate emergency – but it can’t be justified economically either.’ Miss Sturgeon revealed that she will publish a new energy strategy next year.’
She added: ‘Our focus will be on achieving the fastest possible just transition for the oil and gas sector – one that delivers jobs and economic benefit, ensures our energy security and meets our climate obligations.’ But, the comments sparked concerns from the oil and gas sector.
deirdre Michie, chief executive if Oil and gas UK, said: ‘It would be helpful to hear more politicians acknowledge the reality that prematurely stopping production here wouldn’t make a jot of difference to demand. the cliffedge transition proposed by a minority would see all of Scotland’s oil and gas needs met by imports with no benefit to jobs, taxes paid or environmental accountability.’
Cop26 begins with a two-day summit of world leaders before officials begin talks on aims such as limiting temperature rise to 1.5C. As a devolved leader, Miss Sturgeon will not have a key role but she said ‘governments at all levels have a responsibility’.
Miss Sturgeon is a co-chair of the Under2 Coalition with California governor gavin Newsom and representatives from KwaZuluNatal, South Korea and Mexico.
the group aims to encourage regional governments to back ambitious targets.
Although a reserved matter, the creation of the Cambo Oil Field has led to growing issues within the SNP, which has two Scottish green Party ministers in its government.
Scottish Conservative leader douglas Ross said: ‘the SNP are increasingly abandoning the North Sea despite all the evidence showing that a sensible transition is necessary to meet climate goals while protecting jobs.
‘the SNP are just paying lipservice to climate goals.
‘they have missed climate change targets for three years but only now that Cop26 is coming to town are they bothering to... issue a so-called catch-up plan.’
environmental campaigners welcomed Miss Sturgeon’s speech. Sam Chetan-Welsh, political campaigner for greenpeace UK, said: ‘It’s great the penny has dropped for the First Minister that draining the last drop of oil and gas reserves would... drive us deeper into climate breakdown.’
Fabrice leveque, climate and energy lead at WWF Scotland, welcomed the Scottish government’s commitment to net zero.
‘It wouldn’t make a jot of difference’