Hansard

I thank you, Presiding Officer, other members from across the parties and parliamentary staff for the warm welcome that I have received since coming here rather unexpectedly. I thank the Green and Independent group for the opportunity to discuss jobs and Scotland’s new economy, especially as my first academic job was in the field of environmental economics at Abertay University in Dundee. I also taught ecological economics during my time at the University of Dundee, so I am really interested in the issue.

Before discussing the topic, I pay tribute to my predecessor, Richard Baker, who worked hard for the people of the north-east and was known across the chamber as a sincere and compassionate person. He was a strong voice and a willing and active participant in the chamber. Those attributes of his will stand Age Scotland in good stead, as he is a really good guy to have back on the team. [Applause.]

At the heart of the motion is the economy. No one would disagree that the Scottish economy is currently weak. The Scottish Government’s latest figure for growth is 0.1 per cent. Research that has been published today by the Resolution Foundation reinforces the point about the fragility in the labour market. If we look ahead, there are few glimmers of hope on the horizon, given the massive cuts to local authority budgets because of the settlement from the Scottish Government and given the devastation in the oil and gas industry.

The sharp contraction in the oil and gas sector is devastating for the thousands of workers in the sector and their families, particularly in Aberdeen and the rest of the north-east. With another hat on, I am a councillor in Dundee, where skilled workers in the oil and gas sector who have been made redundant have become taxi drivers. I know from colleagues in Aberdeen that the same thing is happening there. The difference in income for those people is obviously having a huge impact on them, their families and their communities.

On top of that contraction in the economy, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities is forecasting 15,000 job losses because of the local government settlement. The full effect of that on local businesses in Scotland should not be underestimated. There is a risk of contagion spreading throughout the Scottish economy, so action is needed now.

The other component of the debate that needs urgent attention is the environment. Our environment is a precious system that is full of linkages and interdependencies, and it cannot be replaced when lost. The scientific evidence on climate change and the role of humans in speeding up changes is overwhelming. The pace of climate change needs to reduce and, where possible, that change must be reversed.

All organisations need to implement changes. We in the Scottish Parliament have a role, as does the Scottish Government, in ensuring that households and private businesses implement changes. It was therefore disappointing to read today that a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers of 1,400 chief executive officers from around the world suggests that climate change fails to top the list of threats for business leaders at Davos. At least, however, 50 per cent of those CEOs say that climate change is a key threat to their business.

Some businesses can reduce their carbon footprint and their costs, and improve the work-life balance for their employees, by encouraging working from home. I was previously a home worker and I know the benefits that that can bring. That is also about networks; I worked on one project that involved virtual meetings at which I was in Dundee while colleagues were in London, in Baltimore in America and in Santiago in Chile. The carbon footprint would have been massive if we had all met in one location to connect up. That is one of the benefits of diversifying our economy and looking at the knowledge economy.

To go back to thinking about the climate, we need to change our behaviour and be mindful that small changes can have a positive impact, whether that is through reusing, recycling or reducing our consumption. Scotland is making improvements on recycling rates, cutting emissions and making our air cleaner, but the official targets have been repeatedly missed.

I believe that the Labour movement and the environmental movement are natural allies. Our goal is the same: we want a society that is run in our collective interests and in the interests of protecting our planet. There has been a lot of talk about creating a vibrant low-carbon economy that has green enterprise at its heart. Especially now, following the agreement that was secured in Paris, the pace of change needs to increase in order to tackle climate change and grow the economy.

As Lord Stern stated, tackling climate change and growing the economy are not mutually exclusive—they are mutually dependent. I could not agree more. We need to ensure that action to tackle climate change is fully implemented and that it delivers jobs and the skills to do those new jobs. That is why we want to make sure that there is enough capacity in the college sector.

Jobs that are associated with tackling climate change range from those in flood prevention—recently, it has been obvious that we need to make sure that we invest in that—to those in improving the energy efficiency of homes and buildings and those in generating knowledge to improve renewable energy technologies.

New jobs are needed and they need to be delivered to boost our sluggish local and national economies. Mr Salmond promised 700 renewable energy jobs for Dundee following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in December 2011 but, sadly, they never appeared.

The people of Scotland want us to work together to find and implement solutions. I look forward to working with members across the chamber over the next nine weeks to meet those challenges. [Applause.]