THIS week saw the publication of the Scottish Government’s energy strategy and just transition plan. Unveiled on Tuesday, what it offers is a bold, ambitious and positive vision and a clear path to a renewable future.

For the first time, this strategy abandons the tired and failed old dogma of maximum economic recovery of oil and gas. Instead, it moves on from it and makes clear that, with the right levels of support, Scotland can lead a just transition to renewables that leaves no worker behind.

It signals the end of support for new fossil fuel extraction projects, with a presumption against new exploration for oil and gas in the North Sea and a position of no support for onshore oil and gas or coal extraction.

What this shift represents is a sea change in Scottish policy. It is part of a generational tipping point away from fossil fuels and towards clean, renewable energy.

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It’s a transformation that can’t come soon enough, and one that our history justifies. More than many other nations, Scotland helped to fuel the industrial revolution through the use of its coal reserves. Similarly, thanks to the North Sea oil boom, it was also at the forefront of the global oil and gas industry for decades.

This energy strategy means that Scotland is one of the first countries in the world to have significant fossil fuel reserves while accepting that some of these resources will need to be left in the ground.

The plan isn’t only notable for what it opposes, but also for the positive transition and transformation that it envisages.

What it heralds is a change in thinking on the part of the Scottish Government and a bright green future for renewable energy. It commits unreservedly to a substantial increase in renewables, with a fair and just transition for our communities.

For the sake of oil and gas workers employed today, it is critical that the planning starts early.

The scars of the closure of the coal industry in the 1980’s still run deep in our communities. A planned transition for workers must leave no-one behind.

The plan lays out a path for more efficient wind farms, both on and offshore, a big expansion of solar technology, a renewed focus on cutting energy demand and the appropriate use of new technologies including hydrogen.

These are all long-held Green ambitions and I am delighted that they are becoming a reality. It also shows the impact that we are having with the Scottish Greens in government.

The decarbonisation of our economy and the expansion of renewable energy were key commitments of the Bute House Agreement which we negotiated with the Scottish Government.

This strategy is a vindication of the positive and constructive approach that we have taken at Holyrood.

These plans don’t exist in isolation. They are part of a wider climate-first approach that we are taking to our environment and our economy.

Take transport policy for example. Domestic travel is responsible for the largest portion of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions, which is why we are encouraging people out of cars and cutting costs with free bus travel for everyone under 22 and the scrapping of peak train fares from September.

At the same time, we are complementing this with record investment in walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure in order to boost active travel and ensure it is always a viable alternative.

These are the kind of creative solutions that we are trying to take to every policy area.

This week also saw the Scottish Parliament approving the fourth National Planning Framework.

It may sound like a dry document, but it is the first strategy of its kind to put the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis at the heart of planning.

As a result of the framework, all planning decisions must now give “significant weight” to the environmental impact of proposals. Similarly, proposals for development must now include steps to minimise greenhouse gas emissions as far as possible and contribute to biodiversity enhancement.

It also means that development proposals for all forms of renewables will be supported – with steps to protect National Parks and National Scenic Areas from inappropriate development.

However, what all of this also underlines is the huge pitfalls and limitations of the current devolution settlement and the many ways in which it is failing our climate.

The work that we are doing in Scotland is vital, but, unfortunately, when it comes to energy policy, so many of the biggest decisions are being made by a Westminster government that is taking a very different approach.

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At the same time as we are planning for a future beyond fossil fuels, they are doubling down on them. We are working to ensure a transition of skills and jobs to the renewables sector, but they are only working for their friends in the fossil fuel sectors.

Even as the world is burning and we are seeing extreme weather events around the globe, Downing Street is in the process of approving more than 100 new oil and gas exploration licences in the North Sea. Last month, they even announced support for the opening of the UK’s first new coal mine for more than 30 years.

This is the worst kind of hypocrisy and climate vandalism. They are certainly not the actions of a government that is taking its environmental commitments remotely seriously. The crisis we are in is a global crisis. Climate change knows no borders and nor should our solutions.

If we are to mitigate its impacts, then it will need all governments to collaborate and show leadership.

The stakes could not be higher and there can never be any room for complacency. We won’t get a second chance. There is no time to waste if we are to have any kind of sustainable future This week, Scotland took a big step towards a fairer, greener and better future for people and planet. It’s time for Westminster to do the same.