A Highlands and Islands candidate has launched a broad challenge to Net Zero policy, arguing it is driving up costs for households and businesses while failing to deliver the benefits promised.
Brian Nugent, lead candidate for Alliance to Liberate Scotland, said that while individuals can take responsibility for their own environmental impact, the wider policy direction is flawed and increasingly out of step with economic reality.
He said the cost of living crisis is being deepened by energy policy, with households facing rising bills driven more by government decisions than by the energy they actually use.
He pointed to the structure of electricity pricing, arguing that policy costs and long term subsidy commitments are now a major factor in what people pay.
He also questioned the scientific certainty behind Net Zero, referencing alternative views that challenge the role of human produced emissions in driving climate change.
“I am one of the good guys, I separate out my waste, put it into the right bins, deliver it where it has to go, but do I believe in Net Zero, no, I do not.”
“CO2 is what plants need to grow, 0.04% of the atmosphere is CO2, estimates vary about how much CO2 is produced by human activity, from 2.9% to 5.3% of that 0.04% is said to be down to human activity, so a negligible number.”
The argument extends beyond science into economic impact, with warnings that high energy costs risk damaging competitiveness and pushing businesses to close or relocate.
Particular concern was raised about areas such as Shetland and the north of Scotland, where significant energy production exists alongside some of the highest electricity prices in the UK.
The candidate said this reflects a deeper disconnect between resource and control, with decisions taken outwith Scotland continuing to shape local outcomes.
“Energy is so expensive, our firms cannot compete, they close or they move elsewhere.
“We are in danger of de-industrialisation.
“Bit of an irony Shetland, with an oil terminal, a gas terminal and windfarms, pays the highest electricity prices in the UK.”
A shift in direction was proposed, including increased use of North Sea oil and gas and a move away from current Net Zero targets, alongside wider calls for economic change.
“We need to get Scotland independent, drop Net Zero, open up the North Sea, Rosebank, Cambo and Jackdaw.
“Get people back to work.”
The comments add to an increasingly sharp debate around energy policy, cost of living pressures and how Scotland balances economic needs with environmental targets.
