Nicola Sturgeon is in “active discussion” to join an international group committed to ending oil and gas production.
The first minister said Scotland is likely to join the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, a coalition set up by Denmark and Costa Rica which commits its core members to halt new drilling for fossil fuels.
Ms Sturgeon stressed there are different categories of membership, from simply being an ally – which would infuriate green groups – to signing up to ending production.
However, it led to claims the move puts jobs on a “cliff edge”.
The comments came after environment group Friends of the Earth Scotland criticised Ms Sturgeon for spending time on photo stunts with campaigners and world leaders at COP26, the UN climate change summit in Glasgow.
‘Active discussions’ about joining alliance
Reacting to criticisms in intevriews, Ms Sturgeon said she wants to end Scotland’s reliance on fossil fuels “as fast as possible”.
But she said it needs to be done without putting oil and gas workers “on the economic scrapheap”.
She said: “We’re actually in active discussions with [the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance] about joining.
“But there are different categories of membership and therefore we’re going through an assessment as to what category – if we did choose to join – would best suit our circumstances.
“I’ve discussed possible membership of Scotland with Danish ministers directly.”
We must move beyond oil and gas.
Nicola Sturgeon
Ms Sturgeon continued: “I would expect us, over the next period, to associate ourselves in one of those categories of membership.
“It’s not the easiest message for a country like Scotland that has a long history and a big oil and gas sector here to say that we must, to use the terminology of the organisation, move beyond oil and gas.
“We must do that as quickly as possible.
“But for somebody like me, stating that is the easy bit.”
She added: “We’ve got to do that in a way that is as fast as possible, but also just, so in a way that doesn’t simply increase our dependence on imported oil and gas and, crucially, doesn’t leave the 100,000 people currently working in oil and gas on the economic scrapheap.”
Photo stuns rather than action at COP26
During her time at the conference, Ms Sturgeon was photographed with activist Greta Thunberg, US President Joe Biden, US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and other campaigners and world leaders.
🇺🇸🏴 Amidst all the serious business at #COP26 today, I’m pleased to also report that @AOC now has a supply of Irn Bru pic.twitter.com/3yhisZ9PiN
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) November 10, 2021
Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, earlier demanded more action than talk.
He said: “Nicola Sturgeon is keen to use the language of climate justice and be photographed with Greta Thunberg but at some point her fine rhetoric has to translate into a commitment to stopping the oil and gas production that is driving the climate crisis.
“Refusing to join the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance is a failure to follow through on her government’s recent change of position to no longer support unlimited oil and gas extraction.
“Instead of siding with oil and gas companies, the Scottish Government must ensure that people and communities working in oil and gas are at the heart of planning a fair and fast phase-out of fossil fuels, whilst scaling up renewable energy to help create decent green jobs.”
BREAKING: Scotland fails to join new 'Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance' at #COP26https://t.co/yGgDWJ0kjj pic.twitter.com/9iGL8xMZNN
— Friends of the Earth Scotland 🌎 (@FoEScot) November 11, 2021
He added: “It is great to see this alliance putting the focus on fossil fuel phase-out but it’s concerning to see many major big oil and gas producing nations unwilling to sign up.
“When you’re in a hole, you have to stop digging.
“To meet the 1.5 degree goal, we need to keep coal, oil and gas safe in the ground.”
Sturgeon ‘abandoning’ oil and gas industry
The suggestions from the first minister of turning off the taps was blasted by the Scottish Conservatives.
North East Tory MSP Liam Kerr said: “This is an admission that the SNP-Green government are abandoning Scotland’s oil and gas industry.”
He added: “Beyond Oil and Gas are committed to a dramatic shift away from fossil fuels.
“By opening discussions with them, Nicola Sturgeon is signalling her intent to put thousands of Scottish jobs on a cliff edge.
“Spurred on by her anti-business Green coalition partners, the first minister’s actions threaten livelihoods in communities across the north-east of Scotland.
“Workers in Scotland’s oil and gas industry will be dismayed by the SNP-Green coalition’s actions, and will rightly question the government’s promise of a fair transition.”
What are the group’s categories?
There are three categories of membership to the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance – core, associate and friends.
Core members commit to ending oil and gas production.
Associate members will take steps to reduce the use of fossil fuels, for example by ending subsidies, and friends support the work of the alliance.