Nicola Sturgeon calls for politicians to have ‘courage’ on environmental issues

Nicola Sturgeon has called on politicians to have “courage” on climate change policy, saying she does not believe there should be new wells opened up in the North Sea.

The former Scottish first minister spoke out as Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his Government are considering whether the Rosebank oil field off the coast of Shetland and the Jackdaw gas field to the west of Aberdeen should be opened up.

Consultations into both projects, which have come in for fierce opposition for environmental campaigners, have now closed.

With the UK Labour Government considering the matter Ms Sturgeon used an appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival to say that the UK should “absolutely not allow ourselves to regress over climate change”.

Nicola Sturgeon was speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival (Lesley Martin/PA)

PA Wire

The former SNP leader told the audience: “We’ve just seen over the summer, with wildfires in many places across the UK, the climate crisis is here and it’s present.”

The oil and gas industry, much of which is based in Aberdeen and the surrounding area, has been lobbying for both Jackdaw and Rosebank to be given the go-ahead.

Ms Sturgeon acknowledged that “in the north east of Scotland there are a large number of workers whose jobs depend on the energy industry”.

But she added: “We need to transition them into clean industry, not continue to pretend that oil and gas either should, or will, because it is a declining asset in the North Sea, provide those jobs in the future.”

She said current politicians need to be “bold and courageous” and added: “I would not be for new exploration in the North Sea.”

She said she accepted this put her “at odds with some people on my side of politics” but it was “important to say what you believe”.

She  continued: “With climate policy it’s not easy right now to stand firm on what is necessary to tackle climate change, but it is absolutely essential to do so.

“It is about courage, and courage sometimes in the face of short-term push-back and unpopularity.”

In April 2019 Ms Sturgeon told the SNP conference she was “declaring that there is a climate emergency”, pledging that “Scotland will live up to our responsibility to tackle it”.

During her time as first minister there was a presumption against new drilling for oil and gas, but current Scottish Government policy says that energy security must be taken into consideration, along with the climate compatibility.

Jack Middleton, SNP MSP for Aberdeen Central and a former adviser to both First Minister John Swinney and his predecessor Humza Yousaf, has said Rosebank and Jackdaw should go ahead, arguing they would benefit both jobs and the economy.