Image credit: BBC Scotland
Nothing to do with the ‘climate emergency’ being a man-made myth, surely? Once again the so-called green economy fails miserably to deliver on its promises, including one of jobs galore.
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Amid the GERS hullabaloo yesterday, there was some other interesting things going on that deserve a bit more attention, says Source News.
First, the STUC, Scotland’s leading trade union body, have written to Alok Sharma MP and Paul Wheelhouse MSP, UK and Scottish Energy Ministers respectively, calling for an urgent bilateral summit to discuss the “renewable construction and green manufacturing jobs crisis”.
Given how little this is getting talked about, you might be surprised to hear that it is a crisis, but it really is.
Add together the job cuts planned at bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis, the virtual mothballing of offshore wind sleeve manufacturer Bifab after the fiasco of EDF energy outsourcing this work on a huge, local offshore wind contract to Indonesia instead, and the effective shutting of the Campbeltown factory of CS Wind, Britain’s only manufacturing facility for offshore and onshore wind towers, you begin to get the picture of a sector that should be thriving in a climate emergency on its knees.
“Promises of a green recovery and a future jobs guarantee are worthless unless there is an industrial plan and investment strategy brought forward to deliver it,” Roz Foyer, STUC General Secretary, said yesterday as she called for the summit.
The Scottish Government’s low carbon energy strategy in 2010 had promised 28,000 new green jobs, but official estimates in February 2020 found just 1,700 full-time jobs had been created in that time, just 6 per cent of the promised figure.
Full report here.
Other Scottish news: Outrage after “shocking” delay to Low Emissions Zone plans [26/08/20]
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
Oh dear, what a shame, never mind.
All jobs relying on government subsidies.
It’s a fair bet that some of the jobs went abroad due to high electricity costs in Scotland.
6% of promised. Roughly about how much electricity contributed to the grid in Kansas by wind turbines.
Oldbrew – oh the ironing!
SOME of the jobs going abroad ? huh , and SOME of the BIG Customers don’t pay their bills to the wee local contractors …… Been there.
Anything that smells of “Highland” as in HIDB or nowadays HIE or Council grants and SCottish Development… STINKS of Corruption. Well known locally and we tend to keep away. Work today , no Pay tomorrow. OUr entire infrastructure has been pretty well sold out to the South. Yesterdays even blew the trumpet of Higher inflationary houseprices ( due to Covid) as City folk come north to work from ( Our )Home. … And our Broadband went down incl. Fibre, Nationwide, last week after the storms – not a cheep from the Helpful Media abot it. just saying.( “move along now…”)
There are existing studies that demonstrate that for every one green job created, two jobs are lost.
If you want wind energy to be competitive then it has to have the lowest possible manufacturing cost. Which isn’t going to be in Scotland.
promised 28,000 new green jobs
‘Political promise fails to materialise’ shock.
“Adam Gallon says: August 27, 2020 at 9:07 pm
All jobs relying on government subsidies.”
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Let’s be precise here. TAXPAYER subsidies.
Overall government (taxpayer subsidized) jobs are a loss to the economy. Such government/taxpayer jobs just add to everyone’s tax burdens and little else.