Green candidate calls for ‘beginning of the end’ for oil industry

Scottish Greens by-election candidate Debra Nicolson has called for the “beginning of the end” of the North Sea oil industry.

Her comments come after first oil flowed from the Mariner field east of Shetland – the biggest North Sea oil development in over a decade.

Some 300 million barrels of crude oil are expected to be extracted from the field, which operator Equinor has called a “cornerstone” of its expansion plans.

Ms Nicolson said: “We are in a climate emergency, yet we are seeing the opening of the largest offshore development in the UK for a decade.

“Rather the start of new large-scale expansion, this field should be the beginning of the end as we start to wind down fossil fuels.

“As well as making a huge contribution to the ongoing climate breakdown, oil is increasingly a scarce resource. The oil and gas industry has been vital for jobs in Shetland, but we owe it to the workforce to give them a future in alternative zero-carbon industries by starting that transition now.

“That means the Scottish and UK governments must stop subsidies for new oil and gas expansion and instead redirect it towards protecting our future. The SNP and Liberal Democrats are yet to realise this, but time is short.”

COMMENTS(3)

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  • john ridland

    • August 16th, 2019 13:43

    OMG, Are the greens completely lost all common sense ,, ?
    Where o where is the proof of MANMADE climate change,?

    REPLY
  • Peter Tilbrook

    • August 16th, 2019 20:48

    At last, someone who understands the situation we (the people of Scotland and beyond) are in and is brave enough to speak the truth and try to make life tolerable for our children and grandchildren. Climate change has to be addressed seriously and this means difficult decisions – not just selfishly considering the next few years by extracting yet more petrochemicals and using them at the expense of more C02 emissions. Good for you, Debra Nicolson, keep up the good work

    REPLY

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