Last week, environmental campaigners staged a Halloween themed protest outside Bute House over “scary” fossil fuels.
On 31 October, protesters gathered outside the Scottish First Minister, John Swinney’s, Edinburgh residence to object to the Scottish government’s approval for a new gas-fired power station at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire.
Campaigners held signs that said “fossil fuel ghouls” and “nothing scarier than fossil fuels”, and many wore halloween masks while sitting outside the residence.
Climate campaigners in Scotland have spoken out against the approval, with Friends of Earth Scotland’s Kate Whitaker stating that the approval was a “catastrophic failure from the Scottish government.”
Key concerns include the dependence on fossil fuels this approval will cause, with fears over both climate breakdown and household energy bills being cited.
Peterhead’s approval came on 27 October and could generate up to 910 Megawatts of electricity using gas, alongside “post-combustion carbon capture” technology. As it has an operating life of 25 years, this plant could burn gas until 2055, which is 10 years past Scotland’s net zero target date.
This decision came just six days after the UK Energy Secretary approved the drilling of gas at the Jackdaw field in the North Sea on 21 October. Although the Government argues it will increase domestic gas production by up to 6 per cent, climate campaigners worry that this project goes against promises to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
When asked about the approval of the Peterhead power station one student commented: “[It] sets a tone for how the government will keep investing in big oil over proven climate solutions”. They also went on to say that demonstration was a beneficial way to combat this and that it “will have to be the way forward” if progress is to be made.
Photo by Josep M Bové (Jobove) – Reus on Unsplash.
