John Swinney has there is no “surprise” in Donald Trump’s calls for oil drilling in the North Sea to be incentivised, insisting that his government is “absolutely committed” to its net zero targets.
Scotland’s First Minister was speaking after the US President claimed that stopping “unsightly windmills” and drilling oil instead would bring the UK’s energy costs “way down”.
In an interview with the PA Media news agency on Saturday, Mr Swinney stressed the need to “recognise the realities of climate change” and carry out a “just transition” to net zero.
The First Minister said: “I do not think it’s a surprise that Donald Trump believes and says what he says about energy issues.
“I think we’re all quite familiar with his line of argument – but from the Scottish Government’s point of view, we’ve given a commitment to get to net zero, and we’re going to see that commitment through.”
The First Minister added: “The need to take climate action is absolutely central to what all governments have got to do, and the Scottish Government is absolutely committed to that journey.”
He said the “shift” from fossil fuels to renewable energy needed to take place in a “managed way”, and that there are “huge opportunities” in Scotland for renewable energy.
“That’s exactly the approach that we’ll take, and we’re now achieving great success in the rolling-out of renewable technologies in Scotland,” he said.
The Scottish Government has committed to a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2045, something the Conservatives described on Friday as a “pipe dream” due to what they said was the “snail’s pace” of change.
The Tories said that based on current projections it could take until 2080 for the country to achieve net zero status, and that there would be “eye-watering” costs if the target is to be achieved.
Mr Swinney rejected this characterisation, insisting: “What my government will do is what we always do, which is we’ll look at the evidence, we’ll take the practical steps, and we’ll deliver on our commitments, and that’s what we do.”
He also pointed out that the Conservatives had previously supported the 2045 target in the Scottish Parliament.
