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| Wed, 31st Mar 2021 12:30:00 |
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Scottish election 2021: Greens say focus should be climate change |
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has said the focus of the election must be climate change in order to cut Scotland's emissions.
He claimed other parties were "sleepwalking" to climate breakdown by supporting fossil fuel exploration.
The Scottish government has a legally-binding net-zero target for 2045.
But the Scottish Greens said without further action, global warming is on track to rise by more than double the target agreed in the Paris agreement.
The Scottish Lib Dems confirmed on Tuesday they would also be campaigning on taking action on climate change.
MSPs passed a bill in 2019 which put the net-zero target - the aim of having all emissions offset by 2045 - in law.
The plans were overwhelmingly backed by MSPs, although the Scottish Greens abstained in the vote having called for more ambitious milestones to be set along the way.
The party said the plans failed to commit to moving away from fossil fuels and were "heavily reliant on untested technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage to keep the oil and gas industry running at maximum levels of extraction".
On Tuesday, Mr Harvie said that within nine years the climate crisis will be "irreversible" and that Scotland "can't afford to continue this complacency".
He said: "The SNP are stuck in a repeating loop, setting eye-catching targets and missing them; sticking with their discredited climate plan while still supporting the fossil fuel industry.
"And of course, they are also united with Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems on road and aviation expansion too. They are sleepwalking this country to disaster.
"Only the Scottish Greens have the solutions to the climate crisis, and have announced green recovery investment plans that would slash emissions and create over 100,000 jobs."
Mr Harvie added: "This cannot be fixed by the behaviour of individuals or left to market forces.
"We need state intervention to invest in renewable energy, integrated public transport, warm homes and restoring Scotland's natural environment. We need to vote like our future depends on it, because it does."
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