We must move away from fossil fuels, so it is right for the Scottish Government to plan for a future without oil. What is equally vital is we avoid the catastrophic destruction of communities that came with the end of our coal industry in the 80s.
Thousands of skilled workers left on the slagheap, mining towns left hollowed out. Scots need no history lessons there. That is why it is critical the Scottish Government listens to its “just transition” body, set up to help protect jobs and find ways to retrain oil workers.
Yet it has emerged the SNP-Green administration failed to meaningfully consult the Just Transition Commission ahead of launching its energy strategy. That is despite the document dramatically paving the way for a clean break from oil and gas with a “presumption” against new drilling.
This is a sector on which 90,000 Scots jobs depend but the problem is there are not enough “green jobs” to accommodate all the workers in oil and gas. At the moment, it’s not even close and some fear the renewables sector will never be able to make up the shortfall.
The verdict of Prof Jim Skea, the chair of the JTC, is clear: “We are deeply concerned about the lack of evidence of adequate policy actions to deliver a just transition for the energy sector.” The SNP-Green government strategy projects some 77,000 low-carbon jobs will be created… but not until 2050.
By that point, according to the energy paper’s own analysis, the North Sea basin will have run dry. That’s why oil and gas workers need a plan for their future – and soon. Leaving it too late is not an option.
WE CAN’T repeat mistakes of 80s
Don’t die of shame
Prostate cancer is one of the biggest killers of men in Scotland – claiming more male lives than most other cancers. Yet, if caught early enough, it is entirely curable. That is why the announcement by Prostate Cancer UK that a third of diagnoses come too late is so shocking.
There are far more men with metastatic prostate cancer on diagnosis in Scotland than the rest of the UK. The charity is urging all men over 50 to have a free blood test which could detect prostate cancer and there needs to be a campaign by the Scottish Government to direct men towards these tests.
The Government also needs to ask why Scots are lagging behind the rest of the UK in early detection. It may be partly down to thrawn Scots who want to avoid intimate examinations and blood tests. But they need to man up and get checked out; a few moments of embarrassment is nothing compared to a death from cancer and a lifetime of heartache for their loved ones.
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