Election vote will be on the future of our planet - Lorna Slater

Scottish Green Party co-leader Lorna Slater

The next UK government will have major decisions to make, and, if we are to have any kind of sustainable future, they will need to oversee our transition from fossil fuels to clean, green energy sources.

We only need to look at the wildfires and flooding which have been happening across Scotland to see how the weather around us is changing. These kinds of extreme weather events should have been a clarion call for change, but the reality is that the warnings have been ignored.

Over the last 14 years the Tories have doubled down on oil, gas and coal while walking away from even the most moderate and unambitious climate commitments they had in place.

Meanwhile Labour has promised to keep every single Tory oil exploration licence and has dropped its flagship £28 billion green energy transition plan before a single vote has even been cast.

The SNP is trying to face both ways on our climate, with government ministers signalling that they are about to water down or abandon their presumption against new oil and gas drilling in Scotland.

Climate action won’t happen by itself. If we want to protect our planet and bring nature and clean air to our communities then we need to vote for it. The best way to deliver for our environment is to vote for Scottish Green candidates who will champion it, both here in Edinburgh and across our country.

Whether it is in TV debates, local hustings, town halls or in our parliament, it is the Scottish Greens who are putting our climate at the top of the agenda and leading the call for change.

We have done a lot of really important work in Holyrood, such as the introduction of free bus travel for everyone under 22, an end to new incineration and a pilot to remove peak rail fares.

Likewise, Edinburgh has 10 fantastic Scottish Green councillors who are putting our climate at the heart of their vision for a fairer, greener city. They have delivered for active travel and recycling and put people and planet at the heart of local politics.

When there aren’t Greens around the table, a lot of the most important questions simply don’t get asked.

In July we are standing candidates all across our city, giving everyone in Edinburgh the opportunity to vote Scottish Green.

We have a slate of fantastic candidates and I’m looking to campaigning alongside them and offering a bold, positive and unique voice that is more important and more necessary than ever.