Meeting of the Parliament 12 September 2024
When it is required. The member will know that we have been waiting for quite a long time on CCUS, and I am sure that he has an interest in seeing that work progress as quickly as possible.
We are one of the best-placed nations in Europe to deploy CCUS, given our unrivalled access to vast CO2 storage potential in the North Sea, but we urgently need the UK Government to make a final decision about the Acorn project; that is this Government’s focus.
As I draw my comments to a close, I note that, in each of those five priority areas, we have the infrastructure, the talent and skills, and the enormous potential that we need. I appreciate that there will be slight differences of opinion across the chamber, which no doubt we will hear during the debate this afternoon. Nevertheless, the point still stands: we have unprecedented opportunity in front of us if we choose to take it.
The Scottish Government cannot deliver all of the benefits of net zero on its own—it will require hard work. In “Green Industrial Strategy”, we have been clear about where we will focus our efforts and attention, and we hold out the hand of welcome to any investor, developer, business or workforce that wants to work with us in order to unlock the potential of those sectors and deliver prosperity to Scotland—prosperity with a purpose that will lead to resilient public services, tackle child poverty and enable us to meet our net zero targets.
I move,
That the Parliament recognises the actions outlined in the Programme for Government 2024-25 to grow the economy, eradicate child poverty, invest in Scotland’s public services, and tackle the climate and nature emergencies; welcomes the publication of the Green Industrial Strategy to ensure that Scotland and its communities benefit economically from the global transition to net zero, including the creation of good, well-paid jobs; acknowledges the need to translate Scotland’s strengths into competitive advantages in the global race; agrees that actions to promote investment, attract and develop a skilled workforce, support fair work and encourage innovation are essential for transforming Scotland’s economy, and recognises that, by laying out concrete actions to accelerate the transition to net zero and position the green economy for long-term success, the Green Industrial Strategy will help build internationally competitive clusters in sectors such as onshore and offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, and green professional services.