Activist Greta Thunberg said the government’s decision to reduce air passenger duty on domestic flights showed Boris Johnson was not prioritising climate change.
The School Strike for Climate organiser arrived in Glasgow for COP26 to much fan-fair on Saturday, where she was met by young fans, the world media and an army of police and security guards.
She said when countries show a “pattern” of policies in which they avoid taking “real action” it shows that the climate is not their main priority.
It comes as Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said we should “100% open” the Cambo oil field, off the north west coast of Shetland, while he claimed COP26 was a pivotal moment in history in reducing climate change.
APD reduction
A 50% reduction in air passenger duty (APD) on domestic flights was announced in last week’s budget, with the expectation more people would take UK flights and “boost” regional airports.
Scientists have pointed out the link between continuing use of planes for short journeys and an increase in CO2 emissions. The French government is planning on banning short domestic flights.
Scottish Conservative West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Andrew Bowie had lobbied the UK Government in favour of cutting the tax, given Aberdeen airport’s domestic flight numbers.
Ms Thunberg spoke with the BBC’s Andrew Marr on Sunday, where she was asked about the UK’s position on “leading on climate change” in the wake of the budget announcement.
She said: “Of course we can’t talk about this in, like, one single policy and so on. But when you see a pattern of these policies, that all the time are avoiding taking real action, then I think you can draw conclusions from that pattern.
“That climate action is not really our main priority right now.”
Net zero will ‘still need oil and gas’
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack meanwhile has doubled down on the UK Government plan to drill the Cambo oil field.
Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, Mr Jack said the government had done “more than anyone else” in reducing emissions, before giving his “100%” support to drilling into the Cambo field for oil and gas.
He said: “”One hundred percent we should open the oil field, 100% we should keep backing oil and gas.
“We still need oil for our petrochemicals industry to make instruments for our NHS, that won’t stop.
“We will stop combustion engine production by 2035, as it should be.
“But it won’t change the fact we will still need oil for products and we have to be realistic about that.
“It is foolish to think we can just run away from oil and gas, we can’t.
“But we can reduce our requirements on it for energy and that is what we intend to do.”
Mr Jack added all of the UK Government’s “calculations” on net-zero had factored in the oil and gas fields, like Cambo, which have been awarded licenses.