Scotland

Scottish Greens call on Westminster to ‘wake up to the reality of the climate crisis’

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/scottish-greens-call-on-westminster-to-wake-up-to-the-reality-of-the-climate-crisis

Image: Chris LeBoutillier / Creative Commons

THE Scottish Greens called on Westminster today to “wake up to the reality of the climate crisis” and change course on fossil fuels instead of “dragging us towards environmental disaster.”

The challenge followed publication of the Scottish government’s draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition document, which calls for a halt to new oil and gas exploration licences and outlines plans for Scotland to lead a transition to renewables.

The strategy includes ideas to increase the country’s renewable electricity generation capacity by 20 gigawatts (GW) over the next seven years, equivalent to nearly 50 per cent of current demand, the Scottish Greens said.

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“Even as the world burns, the UK government has committed to approving 100 new oil and gas exploration licences and is opening the first new coalmine for 30 years.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/scottish-greens-call-on-westminster-to-wake-up-to-the-reality-of-the-climate-crisis

Continue ReadingScottish Greens call on Westminster to ‘wake up to the reality of the climate crisis’

Just Stop Oil news 3 May 2022

Just Stop Oil protested at the Nustar Clydebank fuel depot near Glasgow, Scotland today.

Just Stop Oil blockades terminal in Glasgow in first Scottish action

Shortly before sunrise on Tuesday, about 40 supporters of the civil resistance campaign against fossil fuel production blocked the entrance to the Nustar Clydebank terminal, locking themselves together and climbing on tankers.

Fourteen more activists made their way inside, with three scaling a storage silo and the rest climbing into pipework distributing fuel around the site, halting operations.

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Just Stop Oil, which is calling for the government to promise a moratorium on new fossil fuel projects, said the action was prompted by plans for new oil and gas fields in the North Sea, off Scotland’s coast.

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Protesters arrested at oil terminal climate protest, Police Scotland say

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Chief Superintendent Lynn Ratcliff said on Tuesday evening protesters were asked to leave and that a “number of people who decided not to cooperate have subsequently been arrested”.

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Just Stop Oil protests: Four charged over M25 services damage

Four people have been charged following climate protests at two motorway service stations on the M25 in Surrey.

On Thursday Just Stop Oil said 35 of its supporters blocked petrol stations at Cobham and Clacket Lane services.

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The two men and two women have been charged with causing criminal damage of more than £5,000. A further four people have been released under police bail.

An additional 27 people are still under investigation, Surrey Police said.

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Continue ReadingJust Stop Oil news 3 May 2022

Scotland leads on wind power

Scotland is hugely expanding it’s wind generated power. Well done Scotland.

Huge ScotWind renewables sale ‘could bring oil-style’ boom to Scotland

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17 projects with a combined 25gw potential have been approved in a £700 million sale.

Greta Thunberg, Nicola Sturgeon and Vanessa Nakate at Cop26

The Scottish Government expects to secure at least £1 billion of investment in the Scottish supply chain for every gigawatt of power. Sturgeon says the workforce is “superbly placed with transferable skills to capitalise on the transition to new energy sources” and “people working right now in the oil and gas sector in the North East of Scotland can be confident of opportunities for their future”.

She went on: “While it is not yet possible to say with certainty what the scale of development will ultimately be, there is no doubt that the scale of this opportunity is transformational – both for our environment and the economy.”

Funds raised will be channelled to the Scottish Government and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the “scale of opportunity here is truly historic”.

She said: “ScotWind puts Scotland at the forefront of the global development of offshore wind, represents a massive step forward in our transition to net zero, and will help deliver the supply chain investments and high quality jobs that will make the climate transition a fair one.”

The Scottish Government expects to secure at least £1 billion of investment in the Scottish supply chain for every gigawatt of power. Sturgeon says the workforce is “superbly placed with transferable skills to capitalise on the transition to new energy sources” and “people working right now in the oil and gas sector in the North East of Scotland can be confident of opportunities for their future”.

She went on: “While it is not yet possible to say with certainty what the scale of development will ultimately be, there is no doubt that the scale of this opportunity is transformational – both for our environment and the economy.”

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Continue ReadingScotland leads on wind power

New year message

New year to all my readers. I wish you a successful and productive year – like I will have – unless you’re a Tory or Republican, Fascist, Racist, Xenophobe or a climate crisis-denying ignoramus. [ed: apologies that I forgot to exclude misogynists.]

We have to make some real progress on the Climate Crisis this year – at least Scotland is a good example. [2/1/20 Hopefully Murdoch will be dead soon.]

I’m hoping to pay a lot of tax for this year. I’ll probably still kick ass even if that doesn’t happen. I’ll also be being more sexy – easy enough: get fitter, lose a little weight, have sex. I don’t doubt that many people want to take me out. I’ve been so skint lately that an evening out has been shopping at a discount supermarket. I’m open to suggestions of all sorts but please keep it green e.g. no flying involved.

I’m starting my Biac* project today. More on that later.

*Boris is a …

4/1/20 I’m tagging something minor on here for the benefit of those who are keen to connect apparently unconnected events. I was burgled in 2019 and was woken by an uninvited strange man in my bedroom at 6.30am. (and the answer is no chance;) 4/1 later: I may be mistaken about this and it’s not important anyway ;)

Continue ReadingNew year message