THE First Minister has received praise for her appearance on last night's Channel 4 News Climate Debate.
Nicola Sturgeon joined the leaders of Labour, the LibDems, Plaid Cymru and the Greens to debate environmental issues ahead of the December 12 General Election.
Over the 55-minute episode the SNP leader addressed the decommissioning of North Sea oil platforms and her party's ambitious plans to tackle climate change.
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Asked about drilling for North Sea oil while committing to the SNP's climate agenda, Sturgeon responded with an explanation of the Scottish Government's "just transition" policy.
The Just Transition Commission advises ministers on how to move away from fossil fuels in a way that tackles inequality and promotes an inclusive jobs market.
"We’re in the transition away from fossil fuels and that transition has to accelerate... it’s about the justice of the transition, not doing this in a way that leaves people behind .”
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) November 28, 2019
Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the SNP. #ClimateDebate pic.twitter.com/KsrPUXnoly
Presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy said: "What about the oil industry? The Greens say you’ve got to start decommissioning oil rigs and you’re resisting."
Sturgeon replied: "Well we’re in the transition away from fossil fuels and that transition has to accelerate. Scotland’s one of the most renewable-energy-rich countries in the world. If we were to stop tomorrow in terms of oil production we would make ourselves more reliant on imports, the carbon intensity would increase.
"So that transition has got to be done in a way that cuts our emissions. But the one other thing that’s not been mentioned here, right now, which is where we’ve taken action and other countries haven’t is about the justice of the transition. Not doing this in a way that leaves people behind, that decimates people’s jobs, we have a Just Transition Commission that’s looking at how we do this transition fairly and justly, and that’s really important as well.
"I grew up in the West of Scotland in the 1980s. I saw the effects of deindustrialisation and leaving people behind. The legacy of that is still there in too many of our communities and we can’t make that mistake again."
There was praise on social media for the First Minister's performance.
Nicola Sturgeon is absolutely wiping the floor with the rest of them. Concise, on-topic, educated, decisive. #ClimateDebate
— Melinda Salisbury (@MESalisbury) November 28, 2019
During the episode Sturgeon also challenged the other parties on their support for new nuclear power and explained the Scottish Government's "world-leading" approach to tackling climate issues.
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