New first minister must lead ‘climate parliament’, say Greens in latest SNP deal hint
The new First Minister must head “a climate parliament”, Scottish Green Party leaders have said amid the leadership race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader.
The calls come on the day a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is due to be released.
The IPCC was established to provide policymakers with periodic scientific assessments of climate change, its impacts and potential future risks, and to propose adaptation and mitigation options.
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Scottish Green Party co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater have said the report will “not withhold its warnings” on climate change for Scotland.
The couple said the “tribal party politics” will do nothing to mitigate the effects of the changing climate and insisted the new First Minister and other parties must work together.
Her calls come amid the leadership competition to succeed Ms Sturgeon as SNP leader and first minister.
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Kate Forbes, who is on maternity leave from her government role as Treasury Secretary, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and former community security minister Ash Regan face each other in competition.
The race has brought into focus the cooperation agreement between the SNP and the Greens, with senior members of the latter party suggesting they would not support a government led by Ms Forbes or Ms Regan.
Both candidates campaigned in support of the North Sea industry – a position that could conflict with the Greens’ policy of not pursuing new oil and gas developments.
Ms Slater said: “The IPCC will not back down in its warnings and the incoming First Secretary must act by taking the kind of bold action needed to protect our country and our children from the climate storm.
“The stakes couldn’t be higher. The decisions that our Parliament and this Scottish Government take over the next few months will determine whether we are able to mitigate Scotland’s role in the deadly effects of this crisis.
“This is a big test for the government, but also for Parliament. The legal obligations that Scotland has in relation to climate change have been agreed by all parties, so the responsibility rests with all of us to get involved and show how they can be met.
“This now goes well beyond political tribalism, which is why we are calling on the new First Minister to lead a ‘climate parliament’ that can focus on sustainable action.”
The Scottish Greens highlighted five key decisions they believe will be imminent for the new SNP leader:
– the need for new legislation to speed up the transition in the way homes and buildings are heated;
– Make public transport cheaper and easier;
– Reorientation of food production and agriculture to restore nature;
– Benefit from new jobs in the field of renewable energy;
– Full commitment to working practices that reduce waste and maximize material reuse.
Mr Harvie added: “The current SNP leadership election is for this party and its members.
“But once the dust settles on that contest, the election of a new First Minister will come, with the IPCC’s warnings still loud.
“Any credible candidate must acknowledge them and rise to this challenge.”
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