When the gates closed for the last time at Grangemouth, they didn’t just shut an oil refinery – they closed a chapter of Scotland’s industrial story. Hundreds of skilled jobs disappeared overnight, along with the confidence of a community that has given so much.

Those same industries once powered our economy and our homes, but they also fuelled the climate crisis we now face. As the world rightly moves beyond fossil fuels, we must ensure the people who built that old economy aren't abandoned as the new one takes shape.

For years, ministers have promised a “just transition” – a shift to a green economy that wouldn’t leave workers and communities behind. As COP30 approaches, and the smoke clears over Grangemouth, world leaders must prove that a just transition is more than just a slogan. How can there be justice in a decision that robs people of their livelihoods and leaves entire regions to struggle, as so many workers across Scotland and Britain have discovered to their cost in recent years?

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Moving away from fossil fuels is essential to tackling the climate crisis, and given the UK’s historic contribution to the problem, it’s right that we’re transitioning to cleaner energy. But all too often this is coming at the expense of the people who powered that old economy but are being punished by the correct decision to move towards a new one.

Around the world, the pattern is the same: the resources needed to deliver a fair........

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