Humza Yousaf must deliver 'green future for Scotland' and end use of fossil fuels, youth campaign group say

Humza Yousaf has been urged to end the use of fossil fuels to deliver a “green future for Scotland”.

Green New Deal Rising, a movement of young people fighting for social, economic and climate justice, have launched a new campaign today urging the SNP to produce a timeframe and costed action plan for a green transition ahead of the next general election.

Entitled “SNP No More Talk”, it hopes to see a commitment to phasing out oil and gas production by 2030 in the Energy Transition Strategy, a Green Jobs Guarantee for Scotland and the launch of a National Energy Company for Scotland.

The campaign group, who influenced the UK Labour Party’s plan for a new publicly-owned energy company, GB Energy, welcomed the SNP’s opposition of the Cambo oil field under Nicola Sturgeon's leadership. But the body has accused the party of failing to deliver on the plans for “just transition” and green jobs they have committed to in the past.

Humza Yousaf has been urged to deliver a green future for Scotland.

They point to comments from then leader Alex Salmond in 2008 saying Scotland would become a “Saudi Arabia of renewables” and the SNP commitment in 2017 to set up a publicly-owned energy company to provide gas and electricity to people "as close to cost price as possible" by 2021, which has since been halted.

Now after Mr Yousaf won the SNP leadership contest on Monday, he has been urged to go further on green energy.

Naroa Hammerson, Green New Deal Rising organiser, said: “It’s time for Humza Yousaf, a millennial himself, to get our generation onside by standing up to vested interests and showing he is listening to us and will act in defence of working people all over Scotland and the world.

"The Scottish people need the SNP to act now by ending all oil and gas production by 2030, establishing a public energy company and introducing a Green Job’s guarantee. I’m joining the ‘No More Talk’ campaign because I refuse to enable oil and gas lobbyists to take our future away. It’s time for the SNP to put people and the planet over profit. No More Talk!’”

Fatima Ibrahim, co-executive director of Green New Deal Rising, said: “The SNP are at a crossroads. With a new leader the SNP has the opportunity to respond to the tens of thousands of Scots who want clean power, warm homes, and a safe future for everybody.

"But the SNP have spent far too long cosying up to fossil fuel companies and avoiding the realities of their responsibility. To ensure a livable future where we can all thrive, there can be no new oil and gas fields anywhere on earth. The science could not be clearer.

“So we need the SNP to stop giving dirty fuel companies influence over government climate policy, to say no to any new oil and gas and give us a full phase out plan.” The campaign is also backed by the National Union of Students Scotland, with its president Ellie Gomersall calling for “urgent action”.

She said: “This week's IPCC report made clear that we need urgent action from world leaders to fight against the climate emergency, and as a new First Minister takes office, it is essential that they take immediate and ambitious action, so that Scotland can play our role in tackling climate breakdown.”