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Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Backing Business Only Way to Meet Climate Targets

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The Scottish Conservatives have said backing business and creating more green jobs is the only way to meet the climate change target of net zero by 2045.

Launching the party’s ‘Green Growth’ manifesto policies, Douglas Ross (pictured) said the Scottish Conservatives policies would bring business onside, instead of following the anti-business approach pursued by the SNP.

The Scottish Conservative plans would create tens of thousands of jobs by spending £2.5 billion over the next five years on making all buildings energy efficient and powered by low carbon heating systems.

The party would introduce a Help to Renovate scheme, ensuring that home and business owners are not left with the costs of making their property energy efficient.

Renovation skills would also be a key priority for our Retrain to Rebuild, Rapid Retraining Courses and ‘unlimited’ apprenticeships.

The plans also include further transition support for the North Sea oil and gas sector by making the Scottish Government a partner in the North Sea Transition Deal and establishing the first Job Security Council in Scotland to help workers retrain, acquire new skills and transition to renewables.

Douglas Ross also proposed a Rural Transition Fund, a specific scheme to support the transition of homes and business premises heated by off-grid systems.

The proposals for a Circular Economy Bill would also create thousands of new jobs in recycling and the production of low emissions materials.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said:

“Tackling climate change depends on a growing economy that can innovate and invest in efficiency and green technology.

“Reaching climate change targets will only happen by backing business and creating more green jobs.

“In Nicola Sturgeon’s press statement today on climate change, there was not one mention of business and a single passing reference to jobs.

“That is the fundamental difference between our policies and the SNP’s approach.

“We would bring business onside, they leave business out in the cold.

“The SNP threw money at BiFab but on their watch, the company slid into administration because Nicola Sturgeon is the most anti-business First Minister we’ve ever had.

“An SNP-Green super-majority would have devastating consequences for the 100,000 jobs connected to the North Sea oil and gas industry.

“Instead of risking those jobs and the revenue they generate to support public services, the Scottish Conservatives will keep working with the UK Government to back the oil and gas industry as it moves to more cleaner, greener forms of energy.

“We can only achieve net zero by turning 100% of our focus onto key issues like the green recovery, instead of another divisive referendum.”

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