"The UK Government’s decision to green-light Jackdaw gas field will breach safe climate limits. It won’t, however, insulate households from eye-watering bills, meaningfully impact domestic energy security, or save North Sea jobs from terminal decline." - @miriambrett.bsky.social, FES

Scotland faces a looming fiscal gap. But that doesn’t mean cuts are inevitable. Giving evidence to The Scottish Parliament @jujupepe.bsky.social explained why "efficiencies" aren't enough to close the gap & provide the upfront investment needed to strengthen public services.

Our economist @jujupepe.bsky.social gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament on Scotland’s just transition and the future of green jobs. Watch the clip below👇 And read our report, Delivering a Just Transition for Scotland’s Fossil Fuel Workers, for more: www.futureeconomy.scot/publications...

This week I gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament' on the sustainability of Scotland's tax and spending plans. A short snippet below on why the government should not just invest ScotWind revenues strategically through a wealth fund, but also take public equity stakes in future ScotWind rounds.

Future Economy Scotland@futureeconscot.bsky.social · last mo.

More than 75% of planned ScotWind capacity is owned by parent companies outside the UK. Here our economist @jujupepe.bsky.social gives evidence to the Scottish Parliament on how Scotland could capture more of the wealth created off our coast to secure long-term returns for the people of Scotland.

Meeting the Scottish Government's poverty eradication, NHS improvement, and climate goals will require more public resources. @miriambrett.bsky.social explains why the governemnt'current strategy of closing the fiscal gap through 'efficiency' savings could be harmful and proposes an alternative.

Future Economy Scotland@futureeconscot.bsky.social · last mo.

Scotland’s new Programme for Government offers the clearest picture yet of the Scottish Government’s plans for the next five years. While there was much to welcome, Scotland’s looming fiscal gap was the elephant in the room.

Audit Scotland’s new report echoes many of the shortcomings we identified with the ScotWind offshore wind leasing round. But more can be done to ensure the wealth generated by Scotland's offshore wind is widely shared. Read our full response: www.futureeconomy.scot/press/447-re...

Scotland's oil and gas workforce shrunk by more than a quarter in a decade. But our analysis shows the green energy workforce could grow by around 40,000 jobs by 2030. Here we set out why North Sea decline makes accelerating the green transition more urgent: www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/619-fo...

Recent AI cyber attack events have shown that capabilities are advancing faster than our abilities to control them. Fierce competition is driving firms to release models fast. Even if they are safe under testing conditions, they aren't necessarily safe when deployed. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Anthropic researcher believes more than 10% chance AI 'could kill all humans'

It is the latest in a series of increasing warnings about the safety threat posed by artificial intelligence.

bbc.com

While aspects of the Programme for Government are commendable, relying on optimistic efficiencies to close the budget gap poses serious risks. Read our full response: www.futureeconomy.scot/press/382-fe...

A really helpful overview of the North Sea's future which gets to grips with the real nuts and bolts of the situation. Don't believe the hype. It's corporate owners motivated by profits who are closing down oilfields, not environmental legislation.

Laurie Macfarlane @lmacfarlane.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The North Sea is in long-term decline - and climate policy isn’t the reason. New licenses won’t reverse that trend. Like it or not, Scotland must plan for life beyond fossil fuels. Great read from @jujupepe.bsky.social👇

Drilling in Rosebank and Jackdaw will not deliver energy security or an economic boost for UK households. Our latest @futureeconscot.bsky.social blog argues the North Sea is in long-term decline and only a rapid transition to green energy can deliver a prosperous, resilient future.

Four reasons more drilling won't save the North Sea

Sustained economic prosperity and energy security will only come from a green transition.

futureeconomy.scot

NEW: Four reasons more drilling won't save the North Sea Our latest blog looks at why the economic case for further drilling doesn't stack up. And why long-term prosperity instead depends on accelerating the transition to green energy. Read in full: www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/619-fo...

Scotland’s short-term funding boost masks a looming fiscal crunch. Public service reform alone won’t close the gap – tax rises are needed to protect services. Read our full response to the latest @scotfisccomm.bsky.social update: www.futureeconomy.scot/press/381-re...

Income per head grew faster in Scotland in 2024 than in the rest of the UK 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 GDHI per head grew 7.2% to £24,283 – now 93.5% of the UK average, up from a low of 91.3% in 2018. Scotland grew faster than every UK region except Northern Ireland. 🧵

A just transition isn't only about replacing jobs. It's about creating good jobs, strengthening domestic industries & ensuring economic benefits of the transition stay in Scotland. Read the full briefing by @hannawheatley.bsky.social & @jujupepe.bsky.social www.futureeconomy.scot/publications...

Scotland's Just Transition: Priorities for the new Parliament

Our assessment of the key policy priorities for the new parliamentary term.

futureeconomy.scot

NEW: May’s election reaffirmed Scotland's commitment to delivering a just transition. What must the new Parliament do to deliver this in practice? Our new briefing identifies the key policy priorities for the new parliamentary term 🧵

The attacks in Edinburgh, in which an armed bare-chested white man terrorised Muslims, leaving five people injured, don't feature on a single newspaper front page this morning. Two tier journalism

📉 Scotland's latest greenhouse gas statistics are out today. Emissions fell by just 1% in 2024 - one of the smallest annual reductions on record. Scotland is still reducing emissions, but progress has slowed sharply just as the hardest part of the net zero transition begins.

📣 NEW: What do Scotland’s 2026 election manifestos mean for the just transition? Today we release an independent, evidence-based assessment of how manifestos match the scale of the challenge.🧵

NEW: What’s driving Scotland’s cost-of-living crisis? Households have been squeezed by a pincer movement of weak wage growth + rising prices. Our new @futureeconscot.bsky.social deep dive on the cost of living 🧵 www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/488-el...

NEW: Private finance won’t fix Scotland’s nature crisis - only public investment can. As featured exclusively in today's @theguardian.com, private investment isn’t going to deliver the nature restoration Scotland needs. Read our new guest blog by Tom Gegg: www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/459-pr...

Private finance won’t fix Scotland’s nature crisis – only public investment can

Private investors aren’t funding new woodlands – we need public investment to step in instead.

futureeconomy.scot

We need renewables manufacturing in Scotland! That doesn't happen without more public investment in workers in Scotland! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

🚨 Election Spotlight: Eradicating Child Poverty in Scotland Scotland has made real progress but 110,000 more children must be lifted out of poverty to meet 2030 targets.

NEW: Scotland has passed the world’s first Community Wealth Building Act ✊ But how do we ensure it delivers on its transformative potential? Read our new interview with @neilmcinroy.bsky.social: 👉 www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/456-fr...

Cutting public sector jobs when public services are already stretched risks real harm, to services and those most reliant on them. Moving towards a preventative public service provision model will require more investment over the next parliament, not less! Important new report by IPPR Scotland.

IPPR Scotland@ipprscotland.bsky.social · 7mo ago

⚠️ Scotland could be sleepwalking into austerity ⚠️ 🔴Our new analysis warns looming public sector job cuts could hollow out essential services just as demand rises. 📢The choices made now will shape Scotland’s public services for years. Read the report ⤵️ www.ippr.org/articles/mor...

Last week, we launched Funding Scotland’s Future - setting out 5 tax reforms for a fairer, greener Scotland. Tomorrow, we’re taking the conversation to the Scottish Parliament. Join our expert panel as they unpack the proposals. Details in 🧵

Beautiful weekend up north opening the hiking season.

One question stifles progress in Scotland more than any other: 'how will we pay for it?' But with five tax reforms, Scotland can raise £2.3bn to protect public services and deliver a just transition. Read how in our latest blog by @jujupepe.bsky.social:

Five Tax Reforms for a Just Transition

Our top tax recommendations for the next parliament.

futureeconomy.scot

📢 Our new report, Funding Scotland’s Future: Tax Reform for a Just Transition, has made the front page of @scotsman.com. It sets out credible, progressive reforms that could raise £2.3bn a year, support climate goals, and protect those on lower incomes. ⬇️ www.futureeconomy.scot/publications...

Our new @futureeconscot.bsky.social report calls for tax reform to protect public services and fund a just transition — setting out proposals across income tax, council tax and beyond that are revenue positive, progressive, and good for Scotland's economy, while protecting lower-income households.

Future Economy Scotland@futureeconscot.bsky.social · 8mo ago

NEW: Scotland can raise £2.3bn a year to protect its social contract and reach net zero, according to our new report released today. Watch👇 Read on for more 🧵