Scottish Greens to promise more action to protect the planet at conference

The Scottish Greens have said they are determined to press forward with policies designed to protect the planet over the next three years ahead of their party conference in Dunfermline this weekend.

Co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie are expected to promise action on climate change, empowering councils and supporting people in need during the two-day gathering at the Carnegie Conference Centre.

Hundreds of supporters from all over Scotland are expected to attend the conference this Saturday and Sunday, which will also consider motions and debates on the conflict in Gaza, local authority funding and climate action.

Ms Slater said this weekend's gathering will provide an opportunity to reflect on the impact of the cooperation agreement between the Scottish Greens and the SNP at Holyrood and focus on opportunities and challenges to come.

She said: "Last week saw flooding across our country, with hundreds of people forced to evacuate their homes. It's clear to everyone that the climate crisis is deepening, that's why Scottish Green voices are more vital now than ever before.

"With Scottish Greens in government we have made really important progress, with free bus travel for everyone under 22, the removal of peak rail fares, a ban on permission for new incinerators, record funding for nature restoration and wildlife and walking, wheeling and cycling.

"The Westminster government has shown a total disregard for our future, and is doubling down on oil and gas at a time when we need a fair and just transition to renewables. If we are to take the climate action that is so vital then Scottish Greens must be at the table."

Ms Slater's co-leader colleague, Patrick Harvie, added: "We have had 13 years of Tory cuts that Scotland did not vote for. The multimillionaire Prime Minister and his colleagues and plunging even more families into poverty during a cost-of-living crisis that his party created.

"In Scotland we have used the limited powers we have to take a very different approach, with the groundbreaking Scottish Child Payment, the biggest rollout of the living wage since devolution and a rent cap and protections that go far beyond anything being done anywhere else in the UK.

"It's not been easy, and has been made much harder by a Tory government that has shown a total contempt for Scotland and our Parliament. Just think what we could do with the full powers of a normal independent country."

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