The Aberdeen 58: It’s in their hands, no one else’s

The Aberdeen 58: It’s in their hands, no one else’s

I read with wry amusement that some 58 of Aberdeen’s great and good have written to the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and other political leaders asking for a “more reasoned debate” on the future of oil and gas.

Russell Borthwick chief executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: “We have a shared interest in getting to net zero as quickly as possible, but over recent months our region has been portrayed as part of the problem rather than part of the solution.”

This is of course entirely inevitable. Aberdeen and the NE of Scotland have spent decades claiming it was the Energy Capital of Europe because of its oil and gas activity and that claim has meant it has now become the unfortunate focus of attention from those who quite rightly are – as we should all be – extremely concerned about the impact of climate change.