Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 15 September 2021 (Hybrid)
15 Sep 2021 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
North Sea Oil and Gas
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am used to that reaction as I clamber to my feet.
This Parliament voted into law a shared commitment to reaching net zero by 2045. As the UK Climate Change Committee has told us, meeting that target will involve
“transitioning almost entirely away from the unabated use of fossil fuels”.
That is the view of experts here and worldwide. I suspect that it is the view of most in the oil and gas sector. Therefore, decisions on the granting of additional licences for oil and gas extraction must be seen in the context of everything that we now understand about the climate emergency and the need to drive down our reliance on fossil fuels.
That is a difficult circle to square because, as the IPCC has warned us, we do not have the luxury of time. Every aspect of how we live needs to be sense checked in the light of the climate emergency, and that certainly includes the oil and gas sector. I simply cannot understand how the UK Government could consider pressing ahead with a decision on Cambo while bypassing its own climate checkpoint.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
Good afternoon, colleagues. I remind members that social distancing measures are in place in the chamber and across the Holyrood campus. I ask that members t...
Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
No one, especially not the industry, denies that there is a climate emergency. We all saw the conclusions of the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Ch...
Collette Stevenson (East Kilbride) (SNP)
SNP
If the UK Tory Government is serious about the future of the north-east, it should be working to secure it. Does the member agree with Professor Jim Skea, th...
Liam Kerr
Con
I congratulate the member on reading out a prepared intervention. What is most galling about the relentless whataboutery is that not only does it waste every...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I call the cabinet secretary, Michael Matheson, to speak to and move amendment S6M-01193.3 for up six minutes. 15:30
The Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport (Michael Matheson)
SNP
Thank you—Interruption.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Do we have a problem with the cabinet secretary’s microphone? Could the cabinet secretary maybe take the card out and push it all the way back in? We will se...
Michael Matheson
SNP
Thank you, Presiding Officer. As the chamber knows, the oil and gas industry supports around 100,000 jobs in Scotland and, even as we transition away from f...
Tess White (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
Does the member agree that the oil and gas industry has taken important steps to become more sustainable?
Michael Matheson
SNP
Yes. The evidence from the IPCC is clear: countries around the world cannot continue to pursue maximum economic recovery of fossil fuels if the Paris agreem...
Liam Kerr
Con
Does the cabinet secretary not recognise that the UK has already put in place a £16 billion North Sea transition deal to facilitate exactly that process?
Michael Matheson
SNP
The member will recognise that the UK Government has conceded the point about the need to make sure that there is a climate compatibility checkpoint for new ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
The cabinet secretary is in his final 30 seconds.
Michael Matheson
SNP
That will support and accelerate the transition of the region and support the role of Aberdeen and the wider north-east of Scotland as a centre of excellence...
Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I am pleased to open the debate on behalf of Scottish Labour. I refer to my entry in the register of members’ interests, as I am a member of Unite the Union ...
Liam Kerr
Con
Will the member take an intervention?
Monica Lennon
Lab
I want to make some progress. Without immediate action to reduce emissions, the consequences will include rising sea levels, the extinction of vulnerable sp...
Liam Kerr
Con
Will the member give way?
Monica Lennon
Lab
I have only seconds left. At the event, we were reminded that COP26 is around the corner. What will people see when they look at Scotland and the UK? Greta ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I call Liam McArthur—Interruption.. Take a seat, Mr McArthur. There is a lot of chatter on the Conservative side of the chamber. We would like to hear every...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am used to that reaction as I clamber to my feet. This Parliament voted into law a shared commitment to reaching net zero by...
Liam Kerr
Con
Will the member take an intervention?
Liam McArthur
LD
Not at the moment, Mr Kerr. We should not forget that we are talking about a licence that was first considered in 2001. Back in 2001, many still questioned ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We move to the open debate. I remind members that speeches are to be of up to four minutes. There is no time in hand. 15:46
Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in what is a hugely important debate—and one that will continue long after this afternoon. I hope that we will ...
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Green
How many of the 20 billion barrels of oil and gas in the North Sea will be required to produce medicine?
Brian Whittle
Con
I will just pull that figure out of my back pocket—what a great question. What Mark Ruskell might not know is that, because of its grade, the oil in the Nort...
Jenni Minto (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)
SNP
I refer members to my entry in the register of interests and my interest in Islay Energy Community Benefit Society. The Tory motion can only delay our journ...
Liam Kerr
Con
I am listening very carefully. Where would the member source the oil and gas to meet demand?
Jenni Minto
SNP
I understand that Scotland is a net exporter of energy. Scotland should be proud of the action that has been taken so far. Emissions are down by 51.5 per ce...