Scots unions warn over green jobs

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Energy workers risk being left behind in the fight against climate change unless they get training to broaden skills, Scotland's unions have warned.

Staff in the sector are facing major change in the type and location of jobs as the drive towards renewable energy increases, said the STUC.

The concerns came as MSPs continued scrutiny of the Scottish Government's proposed climate change legislation.

It hopes to see an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The STUC has backed the government's aspiration to make Scotland a world leader in environmental standards, but warned there could be a big impact on the Scottish economy if the risks were not understood.

Fears 'justified'

"The STUC believes that challenging targets can be reconciled with sustainable economic growth but does not believe that the economic and employment benefits of greening the economy will be maximised by simply establishing targets and leaving it to the market to deliver," the body wrote in a submission to the Scottish Parliament's climate change committee.

It said the prospect of change could be worrying for workers, adding: "While the Scottish economy remains one of the least regulated and planned in Europe, fears that green restructuring will fall much harder on some than others must remain justified."

Council umbrella group Cosla told the committee all 32 Scottish councils had signed up to a voluntary agreement to tackle climate change.

But the body warned the introduction of a "carbon credit" scheme - where people are given an annual limit for energy use which can be exceeded by buying credits from those who use less - should be used as a last resort.

Other measures contained in the Scottish Government's Climate Change Bill include establishing an advisory body, while the legislation would incorporate international aviation and shipping within its targets, as well as emissions from all six greenhouse gases.

Chas Booth, from the Association for the Conservation of Energy, said the bill lacked measures to tackle emissions from homes, which he said accounted for about one third of Scotland's total greenhouse gas emissions.