Exclusive:Climate advisers lash out at Reform and Tories' 'slogan-based' net zero opposition ahead of election
The Scottish Conservatives have insisted that Scotland’s 2045 target is ‘completely unrealistic’ despite independent climate advisers stressing it can be achieved
The UK’s independent climate experts have lashed out at “slogan-based” net zero opposition from Reform and the Conservatives just weeks before the issue is poised to be a key Holyrood election dividing line.
Nigel Topping, chairman of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) that gives independent advice to the Scottish and UK governments, warned politicians “not to be head in the sand about the way the world is going” after failings around the Grangemouth refinery closure.
Speaking in Edinburgh as the CCC published advice ahead of the Scottish government tabling its final climate change plan, Mr Topping also warned the UK’s reliance on oil and gas imports will naturally decline over coming decades - despite claims from the North Sea sector that Britain will become more reliant on imported fossil fuels.
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Net zero is set to be a key dividing line at May’s election. On a visit to Glasgow last year, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice, repeatedly used the slogan “net stupid zero”, while Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has calling for a re-think of Scotland’s carbon emissions target, as revealed by Scotland on Sunday’s sister title The Scotsman.
Mr Topping, who was the UN's climate change high-level champion for the 2021 Cop26 summit in Glasgow, told Scotland on Sunday that “even three years ago, in the UK, we had a very broad political consensus on the overall direction”, adding that “we have seen a fracturing”.
He added: “Sometimes the concerns are flagged with no data or no real argument - just a slogan. But there’s often a sensible concern behind them.
“So when people say that net zero will bankrupt Britain, it’s just not true. Investing in this transition will save Britain a lot of money. It’s simply not true that we can’t afford it.
“We invest way less than the OECD average. That’s one of the reasons why our economy is not growing as much, because you have to invest to grow. So I think you have to be careful.”
He also highlighted “some really irresponsible figures” being claimed about how much the move to net zero will cost and “not explaining that if we don’t do the transition we will have to spend most of that money anyway”.
Mr Topping added: “If we stop the transition now, we would have to build 35GW of new gas turbines, we would have to keep buying combustion engine cars, we would have to keep buying gas and oil.
“We spend about £45bn a year importing gas and oil. So we need to make sure we’re having this argument on a fact basis, not on a slogan basis.”
In response, Scottish Conservative energy spokesperson, Douglas Lumsden, said: “Everyone wants to reduce emissions, but the reality is that the dogmatic approach from both the SNP and Labour in the pursuit of net zero is hammering hard-pressed Scots.
“They are also still hellbent on imposing major lifestyle restrictions on many people rather than ensuring they have the support they need to make changes in their homes or businesses.
“The Scottish Conservatives recognise the SNP’s 2045 net zero target is completely unrealistic and will continue to stand up for a fair and affordable transition that doesn’t damage Scotland’s economy.”
Reform did not respond after being approached for comment.
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