00:00 [Music]
00:08 First Minister, what do you make of the Rosebank decision?
00:13 Well, this is the wrong decision to have been made, and I've expressed my concerns about Rosebank going ahead for some time now.
00:21 But I think the most reasonable people are in our position.
00:24 We don't think the taps should be turned off tomorrow.
00:27 It shouldn't be a cliff edge, but neither is the North East or Scotland's future in unlimited oil and gas extraction.
00:34 That's why we've invested ÂŁ500 million in a just transition to take workers of the North East from a fossil fuel industry transitioning to a renewables net zero future.
00:46 And that's one that I'm committed to in this latest development.
00:50 I'm afraid it's just another demonstration of the UK Government moving back on its own ambitions.
00:55 Do you agree with your predecessor that this is environmental vandalism?
00:59 My predecessor can very much speak for herself.
01:04 I've made it very clear in the face of an existential climate catastrophe, what the world needs is climate leadership.
01:11 Scotland's climate leadership is well recognised, as you know.
01:13 I was just in the UN last week speaking about that global leadership we've shown.
01:18 What we've seen in the face of that existential climate catastrophe is the UK Government rolling back on its commitment.
01:25 Not just giving approval for 100 new oil and gas licenses, but also dumping green commitments all for short term cheap political gain.
01:35 That's not climate leadership, that's climate denial.
01:38 Would you support any steps being taken?
01:40 Again, I'll leave it for others to decide what those steps are.
01:45 What I would say is I think what was made is the wrong decision.
01:48 The decision that's been made today is not the right decision to be made.
01:52 Scotland's future, the North East's future, is the net zero capital, not just of Europe, but of I hope the world.
01:59 And of course new oil and gas licenses being given the go ahead will slow the pace of that transition.
02:05 We want to accelerate that transition and take the workers out of the spot.
02:09 But good news for the North East, isn't it?
02:11 Well I think the North East's future is about safeguarding jobs, future proofing jobs.
02:15 You don't future proof jobs by I think investing continually in new oil and gas licenses.
02:21 We know of course that there shouldn't be a cliff edge, that shouldn't be turned off tomorrow.
02:27 We're advocating for a just transition that is accelerated.
02:30 And I don't think today's decision helps with that transition to net zero.
02:35 It's really important that we stand here today, not just for our generation, but for future generations as well.
02:42 Because the decision that the UK government have made is absolutely catastrophic.
02:47 It has ignored the science on climate change.
02:49 The scientists are telling us that four fifths of our fossil fuel reserves need to stay in the ground
02:54 if we're to have any, any kind of a chance to halt the climate change which is devastating communities around the world.
03:00 So it's absolutely critical now that the UK government reverses this decision.
03:04 It's important that all politicians stand together, put pressure on the UK government to stop Rosebank going ahead.
03:10 Because ultimately we need to be investing in the renewable energy future.
03:14 What Rosebank does is it sends a message to multinational companies
03:18 that they should be doubling down on extracting fossil fuels when in fact the future is renewable energy.
03:24 Renewable energy is the future for both low-cost fuel and for resilient energy going forward.
03:28 And yet what we're seeing today is a movement that is committed now to tackling climate change
03:34 and to calling the UK government to account.
03:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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