JOHN Swinney has warned of increasing climate "pushback" from Reform UK and other right-wing figures which "fly in the face of the science" and "reality".
During a speech in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens, the First Minister said the path to renewable energy could benefit communities and the planet, but he sees "an ever-stronger push back against the very idea of a climate crisis" across the UK.
He said making the right choices in relation to the climate emergency is a key political challenge which "troubles" him the most, due to the lack of collaboration.
Swinney said: "The debate is not simply around the detail, the individual policy choices – a cut and thrust that is vital if we are to reach the right conclusions. Instead, for some it is on the very validity of the priority itself."
He later cited Richard Tice, Reform UK deputy leader, who recently declared man-made climate change is "garbage".
Speaking to reporters, the First Minister said: "Richard Tice from Reform UK was basically saying the other day, 'let's chuck all this this net zero stuff and let's just not do it,' so there's an example, that's just one example.
"What I worry about that because of the pressure of Reform, other parties are prepared to kowtow to that, and I won't do it.
"I've made it clear I'm going to absolutely shut the door on Reform, their ideas, their agenda, I'm just not interested.
"They are as a consequence of the rise motivating others to change tack and that's what Anas Sarwar is doing every day of the week. I'm not having any of it."
He added that Scots must understand the direct benefits of fighting climate change if they are to be persuaded to back net zero.
Swinney also urged for an understanding of the costs and challenges of lowering CO2 emissions with the Government taking a lead to “demonstrate clear and direct household and community benefits” of net zero.
Climate campaigners have called for a “just transition” that ensures fossil fuel workers find new jobs in the renewables sector.
Petroineos, which owns the site, has blamed the lessening demand for oil and gas as one of the reasons for its closure.
Swinney has warned of the impact on the local community if jobs are not secured for the refinery workers.
He said during his speech: “This transition will abandon no community.
“The importance of safeguarding jobs and livelihoods has never been more stark than in the immediacy of the situation at Grangemouth.
“If we are going to ensure a future for the site, opportunities for its highly skilled workforce, investment is needed now.
“That is why yesterday, I announced that the Scottish Government will amend the 2025-26 Budget at this late stage to allocate an additional £25 million for a Just Transition Fund for Grangemouth.
“Today, I urge the UK Government to at least match our funding – and to use the powers they have to go further. If this is a Government for the United Kingdom, then Scotland should be getting its fair share of UK-wide investments.”
He added: “The UK must turn warm words into actions and stop treating Scotland as an afterthought.”
The First Minister voiced his backing for a tax on private jets as part of measures to cap emissions, saying he was “very supportive” of the policy. But he added there were “challenges” to implementing such a policy.
He added: “If we are to persuade people to back climate action wholeheartedly, we must speak not only of the costs and challenges – which there will be – but also demonstrate clear and direct household and community benefits where these are possible.
“Tangible benefits at home, in terms of more jobs, lower energy bills, and new economic opportunities, delivering also tangible benefits for the planet.
“My approach to Government has always been collaboration, which is why I want this to be the start of an ongoing conversation, with a focus on action, on delivery.
“I believe that we can only make the progress and map out the next necessary steps on our climate journey, by bringing together local and central Government, agencies, stakeholders, trade unions, community organisations, and the wider public.”
Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “The First Minister’s rhetoric on climate action is very welcome, but words won’t cut emissions.
“Blaming financial pressures doesn’t justify stalling action; especially when a fair tax on the nearly 13,000 pollution-spewing private flights clogging Scotland’s skies could raise up to £30 million more annually.
“On average, the richer you are, the more you pollute, so it’s only fair that the biggest and better off polluters pay for the destruction they’re causing.
“Will the First Minister back his in-principle support for it with firm action?”
