Chamber and committees

I thank the minister for notice of his statement.

Environmental groups such as WWF say that progress has stalled; the evidence of this Government’s net zero efforts is lacking; and the bold climate targets that the SNP pledged to deliver have all but disappeared. We are seeing those failures again today, but there is no acknowledgement of the need to do way more, and to learn from the failures to deliver the action that this Parliament supported.

What are we going to get for the transformational change that we need? If are to address transport emissions, we will need to do more than dump peak rail fares, however much we campaigned for that. We also need to accelerate electrification; increase the use of rail freight; have buses that people can use their bus passes on; and, indeed, have buses that are built in Scotland by Scottish workers, and which are not imported from China.

Also, should we not be doing more to use our fantastic natural resources to remove, and not emit, carbon? When will we see the right trees in the right places, and the investment to support our peatlands at the scale that is needed?

Finally, will the minister outline specific new actions that the Scottish Government will deliver to ensure that the next set of statistics shows that we are on track to deliver the net zero change that we urgently need?

Will the Scottish Government request that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service reconsider its plans to close Marionville fire station, in the light of the recent fire at Cables Wynd house in Leith, the community petition, which now has more than 3,500 signatures, and reports that such plans would weaken fire services in Edinburgh and the Lothians, while our fire services are under increasing pressure, for example from wildfires, as we saw in West Lothian last month?

Do we not need to support local authorities to work together to deliver low-carbon heat networks? Local authorities are discussing the issue now. Given that we have such a huge excess of electricity, is now not the time for the Scottish Government to step in and help them to get there?

We know that urban and rural communities across Scotland are at risk from extreme weather and the impact of the climate emergency, with homes and businesses now at risk. What is the Scottish Government’s plan to deliver the sustainable jobs that we need locally, both to increase our resilience and to reduce emissions? I give the example of the manufacturing of renewables and again ask: when will we see the energy strategy and the just transition plan to give the certainty that developers and supply-chain businesses urgently need in order to deliver that sustainable, low-carbon economy?

It is great to hear about new film production in Scotland, but we also need to see those films in Scotland. Therefore, I want to inform the First Minister that, after support, the Filmhouse is going to open at the end of this month, but it needs a tiny amount of capital to ensure that it will be accessible and able to use all the best formats for showing films. Will the First Minister commit to considering the tiny amount of capital funding that the Filmhouse needs to get over the line and get that accessibility?

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to local authorities to enable them to implement their local heat and energy efficiency strategies. (S6O-04767)

Given the financial investment that is required, what additional financial support and advice will the Scottish Government give councils to enable them to develop not-for-profit heat networks, which have had huge success in Denmark over decades? Will there be specific financial support for regional networks, so that councils can maximise the benefits from heat networks and renewable generation?

I thank the minister for advance sight of his statement. Will he acknowledge the critical points that were made in the Just Transition Commission report about the need for significant acceleration of the development of offshore renewables in order to give confidence to those investing in supply chains and renewables manufacturing, which will create the jobs and deliver the skills that we urgently need?

I am told that we need 8,000 welders, so where is the training coming from? Will the Scottish Government act to speed up the process for renewables projects and work to ensure that jobs in offshore renewables are attractive enough in quality to retain workers with oil and gas experience? The Just Transition Commission highlighted the role of trade unions in negotiating decent terms and conditions, but the minister did not mention that.

It is clear that workers need the Scottish Government to invest now and deliver the transformation that is promised by its £500 million just transition fund. Given the warnings from Robert Gordon University about the need to act now, why is the minister kicking the investment that is urgently needed into the next parliamentary session?

Given that Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park generates £540 million a year and supports more than 6,000 jobs, and that the expanded Cairngorms national park generates £419 million annually and supports 5,400 jobs, what is the Scottish Government’s plan? What specific actions will it take and what investment will it make to ensure that communities in Galloway and Ayrshire do not miss out?

I am not going to begin to answer that question. Let us have that conversation afterwards.

Another area that I think we have not focused on enough is heat in our communities—heat for our buildings and heat networks. The capacity is there. If we have ever more renewables, we need to think in a more joined-up way. That could involve pumped hydro storage, as well as providing a source for the use of that electricity.

Our amendment references the heat strategies that local authorities submitted last January. There is an opportunity for us—and there are huge opportunities for not-for-profit heat networks—to keep prices affordable for consumers.

Local authority or community ownership would give us more accountability. Denmark has been following best practice for decades. Throughout that time, Denmark has not just had local authority-owned heat networks; they have also decarbonised. That is a win-win that we are not making the most of.

We have examples. Aberdeen Heat and Power was established in 2002, and I have visited it several times.

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) rose—