THE Scottish Greens have welcomed Nicola Sturgeon’s call for Cambo oil field’s licence to be “reassessed” but warned fossil fuel expansion needs to be stopped completely.
The First Minister wrote to the Prime Minister to tell him that licences like the one Cambo holds, where “field development” is yet to begin, should be “reassessed in light of the climate emergency we now face”.
The Greens backed the move by the First Minister but say Cambo's licence should be revoked completely, and focus should be on a just transition for workers.
The SNP and Scottish Greens are currently negotiating a co-operation agreement, which could see some Green MSPs as ministers in the Scottish Government.
It comes after the UN published the IPCC report earlier this week which warned of a “code red for humanity”.
READ MORE: COP26: Nicola Sturgeon calls for four-nations meeting to prioritise climate action
The damning report said that failure to take action to limit CO2 emissions would mean the target by governments, set in the Paris Agreement, to remain below 1.5C will be missed.
The Cambo oil field, off the west coast of Shetland, is believed to contain 800 million barrels of oil and could be in production until 2050 - the date the UK Government has set as a target for net zero emissions. The Scottish Government’s net zero target is 2045.
In response to the First Minister’s letter, political parties and environmental campaigners had a mixed reaction, with some welcoming the move while others said Sturgeon needs to “go further” in opposing the plans.
Mark Ruskell, the Scottish Greens' climate spokesperson, said: “It is welcome to see the Scottish Government start to come off the fence when it comes to the Cambo oil field, but it is clear there is still far too many hopes pinned on the oil and gas industry to get us out of the climate emergency.
Mark Ruskell said there should be no more oil and gas licences granted
"The IPCC report is very clear that we cannot wait for the development of new technologies, we must listen to the UN Secretary General and stop fossil fuel expansion entirely.
“That means revoking Cambo and no new oil and gas licences whatsoever, with a just transition ensuring no worker is left behind.”
Other campaigners and politicians welcomed the move, but many said that the First Minister needs to go further.
The Cambo oil field is located off the coast of Shetland in the north sea
Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, said: "This is a welcome call from the First Minister who is right to stress the urgent need to reassess existing fossil fuel licences, including the Cambo project.
“She should now go further and make clear her opposition to this project, and the Prime Minister should urgently review and reverse this drilling licence and accelerate plans for a just transition.”
READ MORE: Cambo oil field: What does it mean for climate targets?
However, Friends of the Earth (FoE) Scotland accused the First Minister of “deferring” to Boris Johnson on the future of oil and gas in the north sea and called on her to take a “bold stance”.
Caroline Rance, FoE Climate and Energy campaigner, said: “Faced with incredible pressure from people concerned about the climate impact of new oil and gas, the First Minister has rightly said the UK Government must review licences for oil fields in light of the severity of the climate emergency. However, she has failed to actually state her Government’s opposition to Cambo or any new oil and gas.
“The Scottish Government’s own policy remains to encourage new oil exploration and drill for every last drop in the North Sea. If the First Minister wants to show leadership she must go further than calling on someone else to review their position."
Monica Lennon, pictured, Scottish Labour’s net-zero, energy and transport spokesperson, also called for a stronger response from the First Minister.
She said: “Scottish Labour has been urging Nicola Sturgeon to get off the fence and oppose the Cambo oil field plans in the face of climate catastrophe.
“In the wake of growing pressure from grassroots campaigners, she has taken a baby step towards having a position.
“Now is not the time to ‘reassess’. It's time for Nicola Sturgeon to firmly and loudly oppose Cambo, once and for all.”
READ MORE: Cambo oil field: Nicola Sturgeon tells Boris Johnson to 'reassess' plans
Tessa Khan, director at Uplift, who are supporting the Stop Cambo campaign, said the First Minister “failed to follow through with action”. She added: “Do we really need a four-nations summit to tell us something we already know?
“All Sturgeon is doing is delaying and over-complicating, when it’s in fact really simple.
“There can be no new oil and gas developments in the North Sea – starting with Cambo – if we're to hope to keep to safe climate targets.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “The UK is the only G7 country to have agreed a landmark deal to support the oil and gas industry’s transition to green energy by 2050 while at the same time supporting 40,000 jobs.
“Even though demand for fossil fuels is falling and we continue to break records on our use of renewable energy, the advice of the independent Climate Change Committee is that we will continue to need oil and gas in the coming years as it is still vital to the production of many everyday essentials like medicines.”
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