Green transition is an opportunity for economic growth - Lorna Slater

First Minister John Swinney is due to deliver his Programme for Government this week.

It’s no secret that the Scottish Greens and the SNP have big differences on environmental policy. Yet, when we were in government we worked constructively to find compromises and make progress together, and, for the most part, we did well.

That is how we secured record investment for nature restoration and walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure, making cities like Edinburgh cleaner and greener. It is also how we banned new incineration projects and scrapped peak rail fares, saving regular commuters hundreds of pounds.

Yet, over recent months there have been some extremely worrying signs that the SNP is moving away from these kinds of policies at a time when they are more necessary than ever.

They spent the recent election dodging questions about whether or not they supported new oil and gas exploration, then last month they hiked up rail fares and wrote to council leaders asking them to use their earmarked nature funds for other purposes.

We cannot underestimate the scale of change that is needed, or the importance of the decisions that we make today.

That is why the Scottish Greens have published a new report, The Climate Reset, with a range of positive and ambitious proposals ahead of the First Minister’s speech.

From rejecting new fossil fuel exploration to introducing new polluter taxes, investing in nature and reducing the number of cars on our roads with road charges and moving money from major road building projects into public transport, we have laid out the kind of bold action that we need to see.

At heart it is a question of what kind of country and planet we want to leave for those that follow us. I want young people today to grow up in a safe and green world, and for future generations to be able to do the same.

Our transition to a greener future presents a huge opportunity for our economic rejuvenation. Scotland has some of the most skilled workers in Europe and immense natural resources that any country would envy. We need to make sure we are getting the full benefit from them.

The focus – all across government, business and civil society – must now be on urgently and rapidly delivering the policies that will help us to seize our immense potential.

Scotland can and must lead the way. With the right political will, this week’s Programme for Government can make significant progress towards this.

Lorna Slater is Scottish Green Party co-leader