A single issue election won't help our climate or the SNP

Just this month we have seen extreme warnings of wildfires across Scotland, an unprecedented heat wave off the Western coast, and fluctuating weather from intense heat and droughts to thunderstorms.

In the same month, it was reported that, for the eighth time in twelve years, Scotland has missed its greenhouse gas emissions target - a legally binding promise the Scottish Government made to fight the climate emergency. The fact is that the weather is becoming more dangerous for people, for communities and for nature.

This should be anything but business as usual.

Last weekend the SNP met in Dundee to discuss how they were going to treat the next election. We heard from party grandees, cabinet ministers, and Humza Yousaf himself, all outlining their vision that the next election must be fought focusing entirely on independence.

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As someone who has voted SNP before and voted Yes in 2014, I don’t want to see the next election focused on just one issue.

The fact is that what the last few years have taught us is that the SNP are in danger of ignoring some of the most defining issues of our generation, whether that is climate breakdown or the cost of living crisis. This next election needs to be one which addresses these issues, with parties promising bold and visionary ideas for how we tackle climate breakdown and build a liveable Scotland which works for everybody.

Sadly, this kind of leadership and urgency on these issues is still lacking.

Just yesterday in Westminster a debate was held on the climate impacts of the Rosebank oil field. Despite the importance and relevance of this topic, only two SNP MPs showed up, Patrick Grady MP and Tommy Sheppard MP, with Sheppard speaking out against Rosebank. The science is clear that we simply cannot extract oil from this field.

Not only will it produce as much CO2 as 28 other countries, this oil field will do nothing for our energy prices or our energy security. Instead, it will make hitting our future targets almost impossible.

Humza Yousaf speaking at the SNP's Independence Convention in Dundee (Image: PA)

Money that could be spent on a just transition for workers across the northeast will instead go to Equinor’s shareholders and cause extreme weather events to become an ever more common occurrence.

Yet again we have seen the SNP fail to offer much needed climate leadership. It’s clear why the SNP are vague on climate: they are beholden to the oil and gas industry who have lobbied the Scottish Government over 200 times in the past five years.

But we have seen what can happen when politicians are forced to take a side. Nicola Sturgeon was forced to backtrack on the Cambo oil field which resulted in its pause. More recently we have seen young politicians taking stands with climate activists - Mhairi Black was the most recent MP to publicly oppose Rosebank. A fantastic moment of solidarity with politicians looking to our future.

The fact is the Scottish Government has plenty of powers it could use today to achieve the targets it has set itself. It could use its powers to set up a public energy company (a promise made in 2017, reneged in 2021).

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The Welsh Government just last year announced plans to create such a company using the same powers we could use in Holyrood. This would save thousands of people from fuel poverty and give us the opportunity to ramp up our investment in clean energy. It could also begin building energy efficient housing and retrofitting existing homes, creating thousands of green jobs and decarbonising our housing stock which is currently a major contributor to our emissions.

If the SNP are serious about their climate commitments, we need to see action now.

That means this summer they must begin making clear commitments to a detailed and real Green Jobs Guarantee that is focused around public investment in retrofitting of homes, carbon neutral public transport, and a skills passport for those working in the North Sea to move into renewable energy.

We need to see a fully detailed and fully costed just transition plan, and a public energy company that invests in renewable energy generation. We also need to know that these commitments will be within the energy strategy released later this year.

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On top of this, and in order to ensure a just transition protects workers in the northeast and across Scotland, the SNP should follow through on Humza Yousaf’s recent agreement and host a convention on a just transition to allow those who have a stake in any transition have a say in their future.

I, like many young people in Scotland today, want to see the SNP deliver on their promises.

We are tired of parties that pretend to listen to us and then continue with business as usual. It’s become unavoidable to deny that we’re living in a time of crisis. This crisis requires more than just promises. We need a bold and transformative plan from the SNP with major investment to tackle the climate crisis and protest communities across Scotland.

Calum Hodgson is a Scotland Campaigner for Green New Deal UK