North-east Green backlash at ‘reckless’ SNP rollback on oil and gas exploration ban

Any rollback from a presumption against new oil and gas fields by the SNP would be “reckless” and “send exactly the wrong message”, says the Greens’ North East MSP.

Maggie Chapman spoke out after the SNP’s Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan gave a strong signal the party is preparing to soften its oil and gas policy.

The Scottish Government’s draft energy strategy, published in January last year, set out the party’s position of a so-called “presumption against” new oil and gas licences.

But speaking during a visit to Aberdeen on Monday, Ms McAllan was quick to point out there is officially still no presumption against that policy.

The finalised energy strategy is expected to be published before parliament breaks for summer – more than two years late.

The senior SNP minister also condemned Sir Keir Starmer’s proposals – which would ban new oil and gas exploration – as “too extreme”.

Her remarks have caused concern among Green members and climate campaigners who already fear a change in direction since the Greens were ditched from government.

But the sentiment is supported by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce. The group says the proposed presumption against exploration undermined efforts to attract record levels of investment needed to move to new technologies.

‘Reckless’

Ms Chapman told the P&J: “Any rollback from a presumption against oil and gas would be reckless. It would send exactly the wrong message at this critical time and would signal a return to the failed policies of the past.

“We cannot drill or burn our way to a sustainable future. All governments have a moral and environmental responsibility to shift away from fossil fuels, and that includes Scotland.

She added: “The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time. Scotland could be a leader in how we respond to it. We have huge renewable potential and resources that are the envy of the world. This must be the focus of our future energy strategy.”

Mark Ruskell, Scottish Greens climate spokesman, previously said any retreat on the government’s position would leave a huge question mark over the new government’s commitment to tackling the climate crisis.

While licensing new developments in the sector is reserved to Westminster, the SNP’s stance would be symbolically significant.

Speaking at Holyrood in November 2022 in her former role as environment minister, Ms McAllan said the government does not agree with the UK Government issuing new oil and gas licences.

She said it was “not a viable answer to either the energy cost crisis or the climate crisis – the answer to both of those is rapid investment in and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency”.

Imogen Dow, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said the energy strategy must contain a plan to build a “wholly renewable energy system and deliver a just transition for workers and communities”.

“The cabinet secretary has been very clear in the past saying that new oil and gas is not an answer to the energy or climate crises and that statement has only become more true”, she said.

“If the strategy contains yet more of the oil and gas that is unaffordable to people and the planet, we’ll know John Swinney’s team has been influenced by fossil fuel lobbyists rather than the needs of the public.”

Poll puts climate change top of agenda

Meanwhile, new research from Uplift – an organisation campaigning for a fair transition away from oil and gas – revealed on Tuesday that nearly three in four SNP voters want climate change to remain high on the agenda for Mr Swinney’s government.

The findings come just weeks after the government announced it would roll back on key climate targets with former first minister Humza Yousaf ending the SNP’s power-sharing deal with the Greens.

The polling also shows the overwhelming majority (83%) of SNP voters do not trust North Sea oil and gas firms to handle the green transition in a way that benefits their workers and communities dependent on the sector.

Just one fifth (21%) of respondents in Aberdeen – the industry’s heartlands – trust oil and gas companies to handle the green transition so that workers and communities benefit.

Tessa Khan, executive director at Uplift, said the survey results send a “clear message” to the new first minister about the need to prioritise tackling the climate crisis.

She added: “Even in Aberdeen, our oil capital, trust in the industry to deliver a fair transition is rock bottom.”