Meeting of the Parliament 20 February 2025
The irony is that we are debating a very straightforward amendment, because we have debated sustainable development on numerous occasions in the Parliament.
The point is about the end of a stage of a bill. We have the same issue in the Scottish Parliament when we go from stage 2 to stage 3, when, suddenly, key actors see events coming up in stage 3. The point that was made by the convener of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee was well made, as it was the last time.
We have to debate the issue now. We need to take decisive and rapid climate action. That is more urgent than ever. We cannot just have another negative debate promoted by the Tories. We have to make sure that we are engaged in the process and that we take it seriously, because the climate emergency will impact on our economy more regularly. The last Friday in January, when Scotland pretty much shut down, is a good example of the negative impact of the climate emergency.
Although the UK Labour Government is serious about delivering for Scotland and our planet, and the SNP Government now reluctantly admits it, the Tories are determined to drag us away from progress. That is desperate politics: our constituents and our communities need more grown-up politics.