NICOLA Sturgeon has said that Scotland must "accelerate the progress away from fossil fuels” while ensuring a just transition for those that work in the sector.
Speaking at Bute House the First Minister said that the Glasgow Climate Pact was not everything it could have been, and she understands the frustration and disappointment on the part of many climate activists.
The First Minister has put her focus on the next UN Conference of Parties (COP) which will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt next year as COP27.
Sturgeon said: “There are big positives in it which must now be built on, for example the fact that we must limit global warming to within 1.5 degrees is no longer contested.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon criticises Boris Johnson for lack of leadership at COP26
“There were also some big disappointments, not least on the failure to establish a facility for loss and damage – an issue the Scottish Government had led on and made some progress over the course of COP.
“There is a lot to build on and the challenge now, for all leaders, is to make sure that work is done and that we see by COP27 next year the kind of progress that is so badly needed."
The First Minister said she was "proud" to come out of the conference with the recognition of the leadership Scotland has shown on combatting climate change but added it was "very, very clear" in her mind that even though Scotland is leading in many respects, "we need to go further and faster as well".
She continued: “We must accelerate the progress away from fossil fuels.
“For Scotland, that’s clearly something we need to turn our minds to and do as quickly as possible.
“But that means building up the alternatives and not just for the energy needs but also to make sure that the 100,000 people who work in that sector have new jobs.
“We have already established a North-East Transition Fund to make sure that as we move away from fossil fuels we are creating the alternative sources of energy and the alternative jobs.
“We have got massive potential in renewable, onshore and offshore wind. We are scaling up the capacity of that already.”
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon hailed as the 'true leader' at climate summit
The FM also spoke about the prospect of using hydrogen, and said the Scottish Government published The Hydrogen Plan during COP26.
She said: “We set bold ambitions around hydrogen, green hydrogen in the main, in order to take advantage of our offshore wind and abundant supply of water – which puts Scotland in an ideal position to really exploit the potential of hydrogen, not just for our own needs here in Scotland but also as an export opportunity.
“I spoke during the week to a big gathering of those involved in hydrogen looking for investment opportunities and it is definitely an area where Scotland has got real strength.”
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