Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

‘87% backing’ for Labour bid to ban fracking in Scotland

(iStock)
(iStock)

LABOUR’S move to ban fracking in Scotland has been backed by nearly 90% of the public in a new consultation.

Scottish Labour’s environment spokeswoman Claudia Beamish held the consultation to gauge support for her Member’s Bill to outlaw the controversial gas extraction technique across Scotland.

A total of 1,067 people responded – 934 (87%) are in favour of a ban, while 12 (1%) were neutral, 114 (11%) were opposed and seven were unsure.

More than one in nine people (95%) agreed fracking poses “too many risks relating to pollution of the earth, water and air, and increased seismic activity”, with only 4% disagreeing.

Just 6% of consultation responses agreed fracking could stimulate the economy and create jobs, with 88% disagreeing.

The Scottish Government brought in a moratorium in 2015 preventing hydraulic fracturing for shale oil and gas, and coal bed methane extraction, from taking place while investigating evidence on its potential impact.

Ms Beamish said: “There is a loud and clear message from this consultation: the overwhelming majority do not want fracking in Scotland, and have raised profound concerns about the potential environmental impact if it is allowed.

“The climate science is irrefutable. Scotland does not need a new fossil fuel as we shift towards a low-carbon economy. Most respondees argued that we should be focusing on the development of jobs in the renewables industries.

“Many are also concerned about the potential health implications of unconventional oil and gas extraction.”

“This is about Scotland’s future, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the condition we leave our planet in for our children and our grandchildren.

“The Scottish Parliament has already voted to ban fracking in Scotland, but the SNP has refused to listen and kicked the decision into the long grass.

“I will now press ahead with my Bill to ban fracking. The people of Scotland do not want it and our environment does not need it.”

The parliament voted in favour of a Labour motion to ban fracking last June after SNP members abstained from voting.

The government’s public consultation on the issue is due to close at the end of May and MSPs will be given a chance to vote before Scottish ministers come to a final decision, expected by the end of the year.

Scottish energy minister Paul Wheelhouse has said the will of the Scottish Parliament will be respected when a final decision is made.

Scottish Liberal Democrat environment spokeswoman Mariam Mahmood said: “Scotland cannot be a world leader on climate change while SNP ministers toy with opening up a new front of carbon-based fuels.

“It is high time the SNP joined Scottish Liberal Democrats and unequivocally ruled out fracking.”

Dr Sam Gardner, Head of Policy at WWF Scotland, said: “The results of this consultation are another reminder that there is overwhelming public support in favour of cleaner forms of energy and against fracking occurring in Scotland.

“The climate science is clear, the vast majority of known fossil fuel reserves need to be left in the ground.

“Scotland should put in place a clear legal block on unconventional fossil fuel extraction and instead play to its natural advantages in clean, green renewable energy.”