Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 27 March 2019
27 Mar 2019 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Climate Emergency
To be honest, if I had known that Andy Wightman was going to repeat what he has already said, I would not have wasted the valuable time that I have for my speech.
The motion strongly hints at the destruction of the oil and gas industry, which I feel very strongly about. Basically, my family has been able to survive economically because of that industry. If over the past three years Andy Wightman had had to see affected constituents in front of him—some of whom have been suicidal about losing their jobs—he might take a different tone. It is no surprise to me that no Green member represents the north-east.
The oil and gas industry has huge potential as a feedstock industry for practically every type of manufacturing. Crucially, natural gas is a key component of fuels that do not emit carbon, such as hydrogen, which could be the zero-emission replacement fuel for heavily emitting sectors such as heating and transport. Other major economies, such as Australia and Germany, are embracing hydrogen at pace.
I want a low-carbon future, but I will not stand up and call for an end to the oil and gas industry, which supports the majority of my constituents, could provide the innovation, engineering expertise and raw materials for a transition to net zero emissions and still has a multitude of uses beyond heat and transport.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-16555, in the name of Mark Ruskell, on climate emergency. I invite members who wish to speak in the debat...
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
Green
We have just over 10 years to act to avoid climate catastrophe. That was the stark warning that emerged in October, following publication of the Intergovernm...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
Does Alison Johnstone accept that extracting oil and gas has no impact whatsoever on the climate? It is what we do with them after we have extracted them tha...
Alison Johnstone
Green
Stewart Stevenson will be aware that more than 90 per cent of the oil and gas that we currently extract is burned. I appreciate that there are other uses for...
Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I will follow up on Stewart Stevenson’s intervention. How does Alison Johnstone propose to replace the 135,000 jobs and £9.2 billion that the offshore oil an...
Alison Johnstone
Green
I can point Mr Kerr to a report on green jobs in the economy. It is based on sound research and shows that 200,000 jobs could be created in a green jobs tran...
The Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment (Mairi Gougeon)
SNP
I start by saying that the Scottish Government recognises the urgency of the global climate challenge. Nobody in the chamber would dispute that part of the G...
John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Green
Is one of the Scottish Government’s actions to continue to implore the UK Government to give further tax breaks to oil and gas companies?
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
I will come back to the point about oil and gas later in my speech. We are taking action through our Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland)...
Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Green)
Green
The Green motion does not suggest that we switch off oil and gas production tomorrow. It “calls on the Scottish Government to recognise that the policy of m...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
My concern is with what the motion implies. We need to work with the sector, and I will come back to that point when I talk about the just transition commiss...
Maurice Golden (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
Today’s motion speaks of a “climate emergency”, which is exactly what we face. Last year’s IPCC report laid that out for all of us too see. Around the globe,...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
Does Maurice Golden accept the hypocrisy that is inherent in a Government providing money to other countries to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis wh...
Maurice Golden
Con
No. I think that it is quite right for the UK Government to support work in developing countries to tackle climate change. When I was in Nepal last year, I s...
Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the opportunity presented by the Green motion to celebrate the bravery of young people around the world in striking for their right to a clean and ...
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Green
Will the member give way on that point?
Claudia Beamish
Lab
I do not have time—I am sorry. Our amendment highlights the fact that the natural world is a vital helping hand in balancing the climate emissions that are ...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
I thank Mark Ruskell for enabling this appetiser for next week’s stage 1 debate on the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill. I am sor...
The Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands (Paul Wheelhouse)
SNP
Does the member recognise that Lord Pentland, in his determination on the legal case, made reference to the fact that the process is still under way, which i...
Liam McArthur
LD
I hear what the minister is saying, but the incongruence between what the First Minister was saying in this chamber and what her lawyers were saying in court...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
Will the member give way?
Liam McArthur
LD
No. I do not have time. There is a transition to be made, absolutely. Activity in that regard is already happening and can and should be accelerated. Moreov...
The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh)
NPA
We turn to the open debate, with speeches of four minutes. We have no time in hand, I am afraid. 16:23
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
SNP
We know that we have a global climate crisis. As a historical contributor to global warming, Scotland has a responsibility to be at the heart of how we mitig...
Andy Wightman
Green
As I mentioned previously in an intervention on the minister’s speech, Mark Ruskell’s motion “calls on the Scottish Government to recognise that the policy ...
Gillian Martin
SNP
To be honest, if I had known that Andy Wightman was going to repeat what he has already said, I would not have wasted the valuable time that I have for my sp...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Conclude, please.
Gillian Martin
SNP
If we are truly serious about playing our part in tackling climate change, we need to engage all sectors in contributing innovation around low-carbon alterna...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I call Peter Chapman. I am afraid that no extra time will be given to him if he takes an intervention. 16:28
Peter Chapman (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
Thank you for that advice, Presiding Officer. I welcome the opportunity to speak in this Green Party debate. I am certain that we all agree that climate cha...