The SNP leader is urging for greater unity to make a renewed case for the urgency of climate action
Scotland’s mainstream must unite in the fight against climate change in the face of an “ever-stronger pushback” from the political right, said the SNP leader John Swinney this week.
Addressing an audience of academics, nature experts, and environmental organisations at Kibble Palace in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens, Swinney spoke of the need to counter the increasing calls for climate inaction from the right. He said we must, “mobilise the middle, the mainstream, against the ever more strident calls for climate inaction from the right.”
Swinney made reference to the recent Storm Eowyn, which brought 100mph winds to parts of the UK, stressing that climate change is no longer a distant issue.
“As we saw with Storm Eowyn, climate change is happening here and now, in real time, with direct and damaging effects in our own towns, in our own countryside, in people’s everyday lives,” he said.
Swinney’s comments come as political leaders worldwide are increasingly dismissing climate science. This week, far-right climate sceptics gathered in London for the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference, where figures like Nigel Farage condemned environmental policies. Farage claimed that Net Zero has been “an absolute disaster.”
Right-wing figures are also spreading climate misinformation. Richard Tice, Reform’s deputy leader, dismissed man-made climate change as “absolute garbage” and falsely claimed that scrapping Net Zero policies would lower energy bills by up to £500 annually. Tice also suggested that growing support for Reform reflects public belief in their “truth-telling,” asserting that “net-zero” policies “have got to stop” and pledging to undo the effects of Net Zero with a windfall tax on renewable energy.
This dangerous narrative follows Donald Trump, who has promised to clamp down on what he terms “climate extremism” in the push to reduce carbon emissions.
In the face of this growing climate denial from the political right, Swinney is urging for greater unity to make a renewed case for the urgency of climate action, saying that now, more than ever, it is crucial to stand together for a sustainable future.
Image credit: John Swinney – X screen grab
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