Chris Murray

I recognise that we will need oil and gas for decades to come, but I must think about Scotland’s future. I am an environmentalist because I am a realist, and I believe that, when confronted with facts, we must face them. The North Sea Transition Authority projects UK oil production falling from 650,000 barrels a day today to just 60,000 by 2050—a decline of more than 90% within 25 years—and those projections account for discoveries such as Rosebank. Employment has tracked production downwards. How can I look Scots my age in the eye and tell them Rosebank offers a secure career to raise a family and retire if it is 90% smaller when we retire? I cannot do that. Scotland has been here before. Our transition away from coal devastated communities, including Newcraighall in my constituency. We must not repeat the mistake of marooning workers in a sector ineluctably in decline. Edinburgh has the energy transition on our doorstep, and I regularly meet constituents on six-figure salaries travelling the world working in renewables. That is where the jobs of Scotland’s future lie. Scotland industrialised early, and although we did not know the effects of climate change then, we know them now. How can we advocate that countries such as Nigeria and Bangladesh reduce their emissions, if Scotland cannot take the steps to do so? Those countries will be the biggest markets for our renewables expertise. I oppose Rosebank because I back Scotland’s energy sector and I want it to thrive for decades to come.