19th April 2017
Our plan to ban fracking has huge public support.
Last year, Labour MSP Claudia Beamish launched a consultation on her plan to change the law to ban fracking in Scotland.
The results are now in, and 87 per cent of respondents were in favour of a ban. More than 1,000 people responded to the consultation – one of the highest response rates in Scottish Parliament history.
Labour will now press on with a bid to change the law and ban onshore fracking outright in Scotland.
Last year the Scottish Parliament backed a Scottish Labour motion calling for fracking to be banned.
The SNP has refused to rule out allowing fracking in Scotland, despite widespread public opposition and health and safety fears.
You can read the full consultation here.
What do the experts say?
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.”
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s head of campaigns Mary Church said:
"It's great news, although not very surprising, that Claudia Beamish MSP has received such a positive response to her Holyrood consultation on a law to ban fracking and will press ahead with her Member's Bill. The risks of fracking are clear and so are the grounds for banning it in the context of the climate crisis.
"While the moratorium imposed by the Scottish Government has halted the immediate threat, ultimately a legislative ban on fracking is necessary to end uncertainty for communities on the frontline of this dirty industry, and send a clear signal that fossil fuels have no place in our energy future.
"We urge MSPs and parties to get behind this Bill and work together to protect the environment and remove the threat of fracking from Scottish communities."
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