Greens have today warned that both the Scottish and UK Governments are failing to properly assess the carbon impact of a potential era of UK gas extraction by the controversial process of fracking.

Appearing before the Economy, Energy and Tourism committee of the Scottish Parliament, both UK and Scottish Government Energy Ministers were questioned by Patrick Harvie MSP on whether the climate change impacts of the gas extracted would be taken into account during the licensing process.(1) The UK Minister, Charles Hendry MP, confirmed that climate change would not be a factor considered.

Respected climate researchers at the Tyndall Centre estimate that if just 20% of shale gas reserves identified in Lancashire are burnt, 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide would be released: 15% of the UK’s carbon budget to 2050.(2)

In November 2011, SEPA granted a licence for the extraction of coal bed methane in Canonbie, Dumfries and Galloway. Another firm is drilling for coal bed methane in Airth, Falkirk, though without yet using the fracking technique.

Patrick Harvie said:

“Charles Hendry showed the UK Government’s breath-taking irresponsibility in admitting that the climate change impact of shale gas will not be a factor in deciding whether to approve applications for fracking. But that was nothing compared to the Scottish Minister Fergus Ewing, who appeared to be completely at sea on this issue.

“I have been asking questions regularly on this for months now, and the Minister knew it was coming up at today’s meeting. I’m shocked that he remained unable or unwilling to answer a few clear and specific questions, and it’s clear that if Scotland is going to resist this dangerous new drive to extract ever more fossil fuels, we’ll need a Minister who is at least up to speed on the basics.”

Notes

1. Scottish Planning Policy states that ‘potential pollution of land, air and water’ should be considered factors in planning decisions. See paragraph 232.

2. For an estimate of the carbon impact of UK shale gas, see the Tyndall Centre report, especially the last paragraph.

Greens have welcomed today’s demonstration of cross-party support for legislation lifting the ban on same-sex marriage and mixed-sex civil partnership in Scotland, and have called for a Bill to be published this year.

Patrick Harvie MSP joined with all other opposition leaders in signing the Equal Marriage campaign’s pledge of support, ahead of what is expected to be the most well-attended reception ever hosted at Holyrood since the creation of the Scottish Parliament.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“It’s really encouraging to see so much support for Equal Marriage both inside Parliament and outside, and all that’s needed is for the Government to come forward with the legislation.

“I see no reason why a Bill couldn’t be published this year, and I’m convinced that when MSPs have the chance to vote on this, Scotland will once again set the pace of change for the rest of the UK by backing equality for same-sex couples. This is a vital signal about the kind of progressive society that Scotland wants to be in the 21st century.”

Here’s the introduction I sent with my response:

I am grateful for the opportunity to respond to this consultation and congratulate the Scottish Government not only on the decision to publish it, but also on the expression of the initial view in favour of equal marriage.

One of my last tasks as a youth worker supporting LGBT young people was the development of a training exercise for mainstream youth workers, which involved asking participants to place various events along a timeline. In trialling this with LGBT young people, I can remember the looks of puzzlement from a group of 16-20 year olds on being asked if they knew when male homosexuality had been decriminalised. This group of young people was growing up free of the idea that they would ever have been seen as criminal. While it says a lot about the lack of visibility of LGBT history, that moment also represented a kind of hope. One day, not so very long from now, I hope to see a group of young people express the same puzzlement and incomprehension on learning that same-sex couples were ever denied the right to marry.

Download my full consultation response here.

The Green MSPs today described the Scottish Government’s new Capital Spending Plans (1) as “a blast from the past”, reserving particular criticism for substantial new expenditure on oil and gas extraction (2). Some aspects of the plans were welcomed by the party, including support for district heating schemes (3), but on transport SNP Ministers seem determined to do nothing to prevent a substantial increase in road traffic, congestion and pollution. (4)

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“The SNP are clearly stuck in a 1970s blast from the past mindset, where Scotland’s future is built on oil, not renewables. They don’t seem to have noticed that oil output from the North Sea peaked in 1999, and are in danger of trashing Scotland’s record on taking climate change seriously. These proposals would instead see tens of billions of pounds misspent on oil and gas extraction and on unconventional sources of fossil fuels. SNP Ministers appear to want tens of billions of tonnes of fossil carbon to be pumped into the atmosphere.

“At the same time, they appear to have nothing at all to say about the most important infrastructure we need for a low-carbon energy system in the future – a subsea grid connection across the North Sea to let us trade electricity efficiently with the rest of Europe. This is an outdated approach, one which misses opportunities and aggravates existing problems, and one which would guarantee the much-trumpeted targets on renewables and climate change are missed by a mile.

“Greens back moves to support district heating schemes, if they materialise, but we must go further and develop local energy companies in every council area in Scotland. This remains our greatest opportunity to generate energy locally and renewably, boosting both jobs and revenue for vital public services.”

“The SNP’s transport plans remain utterly unsustainable. Scotland could instead be investing in a transformational approach, building new public transport services, expanding light rail in the cities, and supporting a new bus fleet running an affordable and regulated service. With an Oyster-style smartcard, the whole system could be made simpler to use, and a programme of repairs and redesign work for urban roads and pavements would make walking and cycling easier and safer, as well as improving winter resilience.

“Instead, we’ve got the continuation of the discredited ‘predict and provide’ model. They’re projecting a 15-20% increase in road traffic, and doing nothing to prevent it. SNP Ministers are committed to sitting on their hands as pollution and congestion rise, roads become less safe, and the mobility gap between rich and poor grows ever wider. New road investment, such as the AWPR and the additional Forth Road Bridge, are based on fantasy economics, and would only make sense in a world where climate change wasn’t happening and where urban roads experienced no congestion.

“On rail, the promise of a service that’s lower cost and more focused on local needs sounds great, but it bears no relation to the franchise consultation, which included a list of umpteen ways Ministers have come up with to make the Scotrail service worse. If Ministers are ready to dump that earlier document and produce a vision for a railway fit for the 21st century, then now is the time.”

Notes

1. See:
www.scotland.gov.uk

2. See p. 57

3. See p. 52

4. See pp. 44-45

The Green MSPs today confirmed the party’s support for tomorrow’s coordinated strike action against UK Ministers’ assault on public sector working conditions. Patrick Harvie MSP, the party’s co-convenor, will take part in an STUC event with the leadership of Scottish Labour and with striking public sector staff in the morning, (1) before taking part in the march from the Usher Hall to Holyrood and then meeting Holyrood staff on the picket line around Parliament.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“Tomorrow is a day when politicians of all parties should be supporting the unions and their action, which comes with a stronger democratic mandate than the UK Ministers who are imposing these unfair and economically illiterate cuts to public sector pensions. The strikes are therefore a crucial statement of resistance, and I will be out with public sector staff in Glasgow in the morning and in Edinburgh in the afternoon.

“MSPs have a responsibility to back both Scotland’s public sector employees and the wider public they serve. It’d be better if all politicians would offer the support that unions have asked for, and not cross the picket line today, but the focus must remain on UK Ministers and their reckless and divisive attack on the public sector.”

Notes

1. This event will take place Wednesday 30 November between 10.00 am and 10.30 am, at the Story Telling Centre, Royal Mile, Edinburgh.

A poll published today by the Daily Mail shows remarkable support for churches who wish to conduct same-sex marriages, with 50% of Scots supporting the bid and just 36% opposed. (1)

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“Taken alongside the widespread support for equal access to civil marriage, this is an extraordinary result, and shows a strong groundswell of support for those churches who want to marry same-sex couples. Increasingly, most Scots don’t regard same-sex couples as anything unusual: these couples are friends, family, colleagues and neighbours.

“On this issue the SNP have stood up to the vested minority interests and the remaining Dark Ages attitudes that have held Scotland back from reform on this issue. We will work with them, as will MSPs from other opposition parties, and I believe we will set an example that the rest of the UK will quickly follow.”

Notes

1. The poll of 1233 Scottish adults was conducted between 16 November and 18 November by Progressive Scottish Opinion. The question asked was:
“To what extent do you agree or disagree that gay couples should be allowed to marry in Scotland’s churches?”
Strongly agree: 19%
Agree: 31%
Neither agree nor disagree: 14%
Disagree: 18%
Strongly disagree: 18%

The Green MSPs today condemned the decision by SNP Ministers to ignore representations from public sector staff and unions to close Holyrood during the day of strike action, 30 November, and instead to support the UK Coalition parties’ anti-union position.

Patrick MSP said:

It’s an utterly cynical move, and an abuse of the Scottish Government’s power, to schedule a debate about the strikes so that only MSPs who cross the picket lines are able to take part.

On November 30th, the country will see the strongest wave of coordinated action for generations, all to challenge the UK Coalition’s ideological and counter-productive cuts. On that day, the SNP and the Coalition parties will sit together as an unholy alliance on the wrong side of the picket lines. Is this really what the SNP stand for now?

No doubt there will be empty rhetoric from Ministers about supporting the right to strike – despite knowing that Parliament can only meet if employees and MSPs alike cross the picket lines. The SNP claim they’re on the other side of the argument from the Tories and LibDems. Wrong. The picket line is the argument, and the SNP have picked a side, the same side as the parties primarily responsible for this brutal attack on pay and pensions.

The unions have been very clear about how MSPs can support them – by joining them at pickets and rallies right across the country. That’s the work we should be doing on November 30th.

The collapse of the CCS project at Longannet highlights the uncertainty which exists, given the technical and financial challenges of capturing carbon dioxide from power stations, transporting it safely, and then storing it in a way that gives confidence that it will stay where it’s put for a period of time which must be measured in geological terms, not in business or electoral cycles. If it can be done, it will help to smooth the transition away from fossil fuels. It’s a pretty big if.

Both UK and Scottish Governments have ignored this “if”, as they seek cover for the expansion of the fossil fuel industries – both extractive and power generating. The SNP in particular have worked a very clever trick of promoting both a high-carbon and a low-carbon economy at the same time. As well as support for renewables, we’ve seen an expansion of open cast coal extraction, proposed coal-fired and gas-fired power stations, fulsome Ministerial support for deepwater oil drilling and a refusal to rule out shale gas extraction.

Whether we blame technical problems, financial risks, or Treasury shenanigans for the failure of the Longannet project, the fact is that CCS remains a speculative technology that will not be available for many years, if ever. Ministers in both Governments must now abandon their support for new fossil fuel generating capacity. They must also, if they are serious about wanting fossil carbon to stay out of the atmosphere, accept the need to leave it where it is. It is already captured, in the ground and under the seas. If it’s extracted it will be burned, and it makes no difference whatever to the climate whether it shows up on Scotland’s emissions inventory or someone else’s.

Sincerely,

Patrick Harvie

Newsnight invited me to discuss it with Professor Stuart Haszeldine of Edinburgh University.

We’ve always been willing to support research into CCS technology, but I’ve been consistently challenging the Scottish Government not to approve new fossil-fuel power stations on the assumption that CCS can be fitted later. It’s a speculative technology, and if it pays off one day it could play a huge role. But till then the focus needs to be on cutting our energy demand, and generating as much as we can from renewables.

Green MSPs today argued for business tax rates to be linked to a wide range of social and environmental criteria, while supporting the Scottish Government’s call for control over corporation tax to be moved to Holyrood. In an amendment* lodged ahead of tomorrow’s debate on corporation tax, the party argues that company policies such as maximum wage ratios and payment of a living wage as well as their environmental performance and local purchasing policies should be reflected in their tax bill.

The amendment also calls for much stronger safeguards against corporate tax avoidance, in particular given recent moves by a number of large businesses operating in Scotland, including two companies praised last week by the First Minister.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“At a time when the Scottish economy is under serious pressure, it is surely right that we should reward companies who act responsibly and are a positive force in our society. Companies that pay a living wage to workers or make serious efforts to reduce their carbon impact should see a reduction in their taxes to reflect the contribution they make to society and the wider economy.

“It’s also right that we create incentives for Scottish companies to source as many services and goods as locally as possible and challenge the mantra that cheaper is always better. There’s not a mention in the SNP’s strategy of the Sustainable Procurement Bill promised in their manifesto, but moving quickly on this issue could multiply the economic and social benefits of every pound of public money spent in Scotland.

“We want to reward responsible companies but we must also clamp down on those who seek to avoid paying their way. Greens back the campaign for control over corporation tax to shift to Holyrood, but new powers need new safeguards and we must create robust rules against corporations who move offshore to avoid corporation tax. If Holyrood does win control of business taxation proper regulation will be essential to ensure Scottish public services don’t lose out at a time when they are under pressure as never before.

“Last week the First Minister sung the praises of multinational companies, one or two of which have worked hard to ensure they don’t pay full UK tax rates, including Amazon, who in 2007 paid less than £20,000 in corporation tax. Greens cannot support this kind of activity, and it’s time for the First Minister to be clear where he stands on tax avoidance.”

* The amendment in Patrick Harvie’s name replaces the end of the Scottish Government motion with the following wording:
“support a wide range of social, economic and environmental objectives, including the need for well-paid, skilled and genuinely sustainable jobs, by allowing the Government to link tax rates to a wide range of criteria such as maximum wage ratios, payment of a living wage, local procurement, and reductions in waste generation or carbon emissions; further agrees that if corporation tax was devolved to Scotland there must be clear and robust safeguards against the kind of tax avoidance and evasion practices which have placed additional pressure on public services across the UK.”