Programme for Government 2020 briefing

Every year the Scottish Government sets out its plans for the coming year in the “Programme for Government”. This year’s Programme for Government comes at an important moment.  The impacts of COVID-19 have plunged us into multiple crises. On top of the catastrophic health impacts, Scotland is entering a recession, with thousands of jobs lost or at risk. All of this comes against a backdrop of climate breakdown.

Friends of the Earth Scotland believes this makes it imperative that our economic rebuild is driven by a Green Jobs Recovery – building a resilient economy and tackling the climate emergency whilst creating decent, green jobs. We’ve identified steps that should be taken to deliver a Green Jobs Recovery. The Programme for Government must mark the start of this process, introducing policies that will create these green jobs, such as:

• Delivering a programme of public green job creation in areas like energy efficiency, and sustainable transport.
• Committing to give no public money for new fossil fuel developments, making any bailouts conditional on supporting a Just Transition.
• Mapping the skills needed for the zero-carbon economy and begin funded, targeted training programmes to address the gaps.
• Shifting government spending away from polluting projects , such as road expansion towards creating green jobs.

Find out more about our 10 steps for a Green Jobs Recovery here.