By Patrick Harvie

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. So goes the saying, attributed to Einstein.

Given the human impact of the job losses in the offshore oil industry due to the volatility of the resource, and the Scottish Government’s failure for four years in a row to meet climate change targets, we must challenge those who want to repeat previous approaches. Now is the time for a change of direction.

Oil and Gas UK says the number of jobs in the sector and its supply chain has fallen from 440,000 to 375,000, a 15 per cent cut since the start of 2014. Chief executive Deirdre Michie has spoken of the need for a “transformation in the way business is done” to “become more resilient”. This misses the opportunity we have to create a genuinely resilient economy that will outlast oil and gas.

For many, it’s hard to see a future for our country without the sector. The Herald has reminded readers that it supports what it calls a “balanced” energy policy and further tax breaks for oil and gas firms. “Balanced” is used by those who favour a mix of energy sources, such as nuclear and fracking. A better balance would rule out finite, risky options and instead involve a mix of renewable sources, which by their very definition can sustain us indefinitely.

On oil, the SNP’s energy minister, Fergus Ewing, recently said it was "imperative" that oil multinationals don't have to pay more tax, ignoring the fact that we already subsidise these companies’ profits by £1 billion a year. The same minister poured scorn on the idea of public ownership of the sector, a statement which lays bare the Scottish Government’s cautious approach at a time when boldness is called for.

"There's still plenty to come from the North Sea," Mr Ewing said. I agree but, whereas he means oil, I mean decommissioning, not exploration. I also mean renewables, from offshore wind and wave to tidal and undersea interconnectors. The minister spoke of “premature decommissioning”, begging the question: how soon is too soon? The international consensus is that most of the world's fossil fuel reserves will need to stay in the ground if climate change is to be constrained. More than 50 per cent of gas and 30 per cent of existing oil reserves are unburnable if we want to limit the global temperature rise to 2C.

Research carried out for the Scottish Greens shows how we can create far more employment than will be lost over the next 20 years. By focusing on alternative industries such as renewables, retrofitting housing, district heating and reforesting, we can enhance skills, encourage innovation and increase supply chain opportunities for small to medium enterprises. We could retool Grangemouth to focus on synthetic gas and position Aberdeen as a world centre of expertise in decommissioning, something countries around the globe know they have to tackle soon. We should start to see more focus on retrofitting housing stock after my colleague Alison Johnstone got Finance Secretary John Swinney to commit to making it a national infrastructure priority.

On fracking, hundreds of Scottish communities remain uncertain about their fate. Following pressure from community groups and the Scottish Greens, ministers announced a temporary and partial moratorium in January. A public consultation was promised. Almost nine months on, we’re still waiting. The First Minister says a timetable for evidence-gathering will be presented to parliament in the next few weeks but voters deserve to know what they’d get if the SNP were re-elected in May. Kicking this issue into the long grass isn’t credible.

Several parliamentary questions on the issue remain unanswered by ministers after seven months. As ministers maintain their silence, fobbing off the public with bland, unchanging statements, developers such as Ineos and Cluff are getting organised.

Labour MSPs are on record describing fracking as an opportunity, saying it will bring down fuel bills. Labour, like the SNP, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, voted against the ban we proposed last year.

It’s perhaps no surprise that a recent Ipsos Mori poll stated that the Scottish Greens are the party most trusted with Scotland's environment. The connection between a healthy environment and a healthy economy is clear to see. The choice we face is: do we repeat the mistakes of the past, and chase after yet more unburnable fuel? Or do we seize the opportunity and change direction?

Patrick Harvie MSP is co-convener of the Scottish Greens and is a member of the Scottish Parliament’s economy, energy and tourism committee.

http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2015/08/Jobs_in_Scotland_New_Economy.pdf