John Swinney's fury at Labour over energy is distraction from SNP's failures
The SNP still needs to get its own house in order as it calls on the UK government to follow through on key energy plans.
John Swinney has reiterated his commitment to tackling the climate crisis - but can only now be taken seriously if he can boast results.
The First Minister, surrounded by plants at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens on Wednesday, stressed that “delivery is the key”. And he is right.
The SNP leader was also correct to call out an emerging narrative in UK politics, largely from Reform UK and Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives, that investing in net zero is not worth the effort or the money.
But a failure to follow through on bold climate commitments has left the Scottish Government paralysed on the big and bold questions on the environment and the energy transition.
At the centre of the SNP leader’s pitch on climate action, the lesser-spotted one of his four key priorities, are key demands of UK government ministers.
The First Minister is clearly at the end of his tether, as is the industry poised to invest, over the constant delays over Scotland’s Acorn carbon capture and storage project. There is also palpable anger directed at Westminster over Grangemouth, despite Scotland’s two governments repeatedly patting each other on the back over pledges and vows.
That fury has been directed at the owners of Scotland’s only oil refinery, Petroineos, which is closing down the plant that is expected to lose £150 million this year.
The carbon capture delays are a valid frustration - it is ridiculous that plans have not been pushed forward for the crucial energy project. But putting these calls front and centre of Mr Swinney’s pitch on the climate crisis masks the fact the Scottish Government’s own responsibilities are in complete disarray.
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Delays to a fit-for-purpose blueprint to cut carbon emissions, Scotland’s statutory climate change plan, means ministers are working off a strategy that is five years old, which boldly still claims that by 2032, the country will be in the middle of “developing carbon capture, transport and storage infrastructure”.
But it is the Scottish Government’s key domestic and devolved policies where failures to back up words with concrete action has meant progress is massively off track. There is no way of hiding the fact Scotland has failed to hit nine of the last 13 annual emissions targets.
SNP ministers have been forced to bin their former-legally binding target to cut emissions by 75 per cent by 2030, with still no clue what the trajectory to hitting net zero by 2045 looks like.
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Questions remain over how the Scottish Government intends to cut stubborn transport emissions - not helped by the decision to cancel the scrapping of peak rail fares. Tree planting and peat restoration has fallen flat and waste targets are set to be missed.
The First Minister is valid in calling out the UK government for failed action and to "stop treating Scotland as an afterthought".
But without finally bringing forward some of the action SNP ministers have long promised on tackling the climate crisis, the Scottish Government risks continuing to be branded with a reputation of failing to deliver. That could be costly when voters go to the polls next year.
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