Scotland’s Just Transition Commission held a major national summit in Edinburgh this week, with the aim of establishing common ground on how a low carbon economy can be built most fairly.
The Commission is an independent expert advisory group with members drawn from business, industry, trade unions, environmental and community groups and academia. It provides independent scrutiny and advice to the Scottish Government on how to deliver a resilient, low carbon economy that delivers fairness and tackles inequalities.
The Just Transition Commission claims there is broad support across Scotland for “a big step up” on climate action, matched with tangible measures to support workers and communities at the sharp end of industrial changes.
The summit brought together senior politicians from Holyrood and Westminster with First Minister John Swinney, UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks and the new head of the UK Climate Change Committee, Nigel Topping, giving keynote speeches.
The event showcased 28 projects from across Scotland that are helping achieve a just transition. These range from community owned energy projects in islands such as North Yell and Lewis, to innovative skills initiatives to support workers made redundant at the Grangemouth oil refinery into new roles, as well as companies who are setting up shop in Scotland to manufacture the sub-sea cables needed for wind power.
Ahead of the summit, the Commission published a new map showcasing dozens of positive projects making just transition a reality for people across Scotland: Case Studies Map – Just Transition Commission
Satwat Rehman, co-chair of the Commission, said:
“Our summit showcases dozens of brilliant on-the-ground projects that are already making a concrete and measurable contribution to Scotland’s economic renewal through the low carbon transition. Some are small community initiatives, others are international companies at the leading edge of green infrastructure development, while others showcase the innovation and resourcefulness we consistently see from bulwarks of the transition such as our further education colleges.”
However, there are criticisms that the process is too slow and too driven by conventional politics and economics to respond adequately to the times we are in.
This week the Herald published new analysis from the STUC that reported: “Just one job has been created for every £1 million generated by Scotland’s wind industry, according to a bombshell report by a leading trade union body. New analysis by the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) on Scotland’s low carbon and renewable energy economy has revealed the extent of the spending gap.”
“STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “Our research shows that despite wind continuing to make up more than half of the exports, imports and turnover in the low carbon economy, there is a chronic disconnect in the number of jobs being created.”
The union body has said that the Scottish Government must act to support the domestic manufacturing of wind turbines.
If action is not taken, Foyer said that the government’s industrial strategy, which prioritises the development of offshore wind, would amount to little more than “hot air”.
Speaking at the Just Transition Summit, Richard Hardy, a Just Transition Commissioner Scotland, and President Scottish Trade Union Congress said: “We are not good at doing transition because we keep leaving it to the market… the state needs to be a much more important driver.”
Further criticisms are laid that the process is dominated by the fossil fuel corporations who remian big players and highly influential in Scottish politics.
However, the Scottish Government used the summit to announce that the project would be extended for another five years.
The Commission believes with the right policy frameworks, public finance leadership and private capital innovation, further job expansion can be delivered with strong working conditions and benefits distributed broadly through society. And, according to CBI Economics, Scotland already has the largest share of jobs coming from the Net Zero economy in the UK, with employment growing about a fifth between 2022 and 2024, supporting more than 100,000 jobs.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney said: “Tackling the climate emergency is the one of the most pressing issues faced by governments around the world and it is one of my overarching priorities as First Minister.
“It is my firm belief that the drive to net zero offers real opportunity for Scotland and that the transition to renewable energy is vital to economic growth. To harness these opportunities however, we must ensure that we are bringing people, workforces and communities with us on the journey.
“The Just Transition Commission has played an important role in supporting progress to a low carbon economy while ensuring fairness and equality. Our intention to renew the Commission will enable it to continue delivering meaningful engagement, analysis and expert advice with a clear focus on delivery.”
Read the Just Transition Commission’s latest policy briefings:
