Burning contradiction in the wake of devastating wildfires - Lorna Slater
Every summer seems to bring another reminder that the climate crisis is not a distant warning, it is the reality we are living through.
Across Europe and beyond, devastating wildfires have become a regular feature of the warmer months. Communities have been forced to evacuate, homes have been destroyed, and lives have been lost. This is exactly what climate scientists have warned us about for decades.
That is why reports suggesting that new Prime Minister Andy Burnham could reopen the door to new North Sea oil and gas drilling are so deeply alarming. If true, it would represent a dramatic retreat from the commitments Labour made to voters and from the action that science demands.
We cannot claim to be serious about reaching net zero while continuing to search for and exploit new fossil fuel reserves. Every credible international body, from the International Energy Agency to the United Nations, has made clear that limiting global warming means ending the expansion of fossil fuel extraction.
New drilling does not lower energy bills, it does not provide long term energy security and it certainly does not protect us from volatile global markets.
Instead, it locks us into decades more carbon emissions when we should be accelerating investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and the industries of the future.
Scotland has enormous potential to lead the world in offshore wind, tidal energy and green manufacturing. We have the skilled workforce needed to build a genuinely just transition, one that supports workers and communities rather than abandoning them.
What we do not need is another false promise that clinging to the past is somehow a plan for the future.
The North Sea has played a significant role in our economy for generations. Nobody is denying that. But pretending that approving new drilling licences is compatible with our climate obligations is simply dishonest. It delays the transition that is already underway and leaves workers facing greater uncertainty in the years ahead.
If Andy Burnham begins his premiership by abandoning one of Labour’s most important climate commitments, it will send a message that political convenience matters more than scientific evidence.
It would be a disappointing signal to send at a time when governments around the world should be showing greater ambition, not retreating from it.
He must demonstrate bravery in ending the drilling, not cowardice through complicity of the planet’s destruction.
Leadership means making difficult decisions for the long term, even when powerful interests demand otherwise. It means recognising that the climate emergency cannot be negotiated with and that every decision made today will shape the world our children inherit.
The fires burning across Europe are not isolated tragedies. They are warnings. The floods, storms and extreme heat we are experiencing with increasing frequency are warnings too. We ignore them at our peril.
Andy Burnham has an opportunity to show that his government understands the scale of the challenge before us. He should reject any return to new North Sea drilling, halt climate damaging developments like Rosebank and commit instead to investing in clean energy, secure jobs and a fair transition for every community.
To do otherwise would not just be a policy reversal. It would be a sell out of the promises made to voters, a sell out of our climate commitments and a sell out of future generations who will live with the consequences long after today’s political headlines have faded.