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Campaign and petition email responses | Statement on the Energy Charter Treaty

Campaign and petition email responses

Statement on the Energy Charter Treaty

Under current arrangements, Scotland is not an independent party to the Treaty and is covered by the UK’s membership. The terms and scope of the Treaty are under active consideration by member states and the Scottish Government is in contact with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about the renegotiation process with a view to identifying and mitigating any impact on Scotland.

We have been calling on the UK Government to reject the classic private arbitration model. We are clear that no part of a trade or investment agreement – including provisions regarding investment protection and ISDS mechanisms – should limit the ability of the Scottish Parliament to regulate in devolved areas or constrain action to achieve our net-zero goal.

The SNP’s position is clear that unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is not consistent with our climate obligations, our position is supported by the UK and Scottish Government’s statutory advisers on climate change. Indeed the IPCC’s latest report, published in February 2022, shows that the impacts of climate change are even worse than previously thought and business as usual is not an option.

We have called repeatedly on the UK Government, who have the power to act in this instance, to urgently re-assess all approved oil licenses where drilling has not yet commenced against our climate commitments. It is both alarming that the UK Government appears to believe that licencing of more than 100 new oil and gas fields will not materially impact the ability of the UK to reach net zero by 2050, and reckless to believe that this approach is in anyway consistent with our climate obligations.

The SNP is clear that we have a duty to move away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible, and that this must be carried out in a just way and in a way that doesn’t compromise energy security. Scotland is leading the way with our investment in renewables and our big focus on developing offshore wind, serving the importance of highlighting the importance of accelerating the transition to renewable energy sources.

Please be assured myself and my SNP colleagues will continue to push the UK Government to do more to address the climate emergency.

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@StewartMcDonald on Twitter

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