Green party leaders have condemned Tory support for new oil and gas in an attack aimed at defending the party’s role in the Scottish Government with the SNP.
The intervention underlines the central role in North Sea energy and the shift to renewable sources as politicians struggle to win the arguments before the next election.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently signalled support for more drilling.
Greens accuse Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of watering down environmental promises.
The SNP is also facing calls to hold onto the valuable resource days after official figures showed Scotland enjoyed a £9.4 billion share of offshore revenue in a year.
Green MSP Mark Ruskell spoke out in an attempt to defend the party’s more radical plan to turn off the taps and defend the party’s role in government.
In emotive comments, Mr Ruskell said: “Don’t they have televisions, don’t they read news sites, can’t they see Canada is ablaze as Hawaii is smouldering while deaths rise? Haven’t they grasped the scenes of devastation in Europe, Africa, China and beyond?
“We have. Our children have. Young people preparing for what will be their first time voting in a general election know all about it. They are the ones showing real climate leadership while being ignored by Westminster.”
Climate emergency
It is not just Labour and Tories facing criticism from Greens.
On Sunday, Green party co-convener Patrick Harvie openly criticised former SNP minister Fergus Ewing, the MSP for Inverness and Nairn, over climate attitudes.
“He represents a generation that simply hasn’t moved on and come to terms with the reality of what the climate emergency requires of us all collectively,” he said.
Mr Harvie is one of two Scottish Green Party MSPs serving in Mr Yousaf’s SNP-led Scottish Government.
Mr Ewing is an outspoken critic of the SNP-Green alliance and once described his power-sharing colleagues as “wine bar pseudo-intellectuals”.
Conservatives warn highly-skilled people will be lose jobs if the UK turns its back on oil and gas too quickly.
“The Green tail has well and truly wagged the yellow SNP dog on energy policy in the two years of the Bute House agreement.
“Everyone recognises the need to tackle our climate emergency, but the policies from the extremist, anti-growth Greens are already proving deeply damaging to the Scottish economy.”
Conversation