Well here’s a thing: Aberdeen and Grampian Chambers of Commerce (AGCC) is praising the climate change sceptic Donald Trump, would-be wrecker of the Paris Agreement, after he said the UK should open up the North Sea to more oil and gas drilling, and “get rid of windmills”.

Russell Borthwick, chief executive of AGCC, seems to think Donald Trump is a bit of a hero: “Donald Trump’s support for the North Sea is welcome, but it should not fall to the president-elect of America to make the case for jobs and investment here.

“We need full-throated support for our oil and gas sector from both our governments, but particularly here in Scotland where it is such a crucial part of our economy.”

Specifically, Mr Borthwick wants the Scottish Government to dump its current presumption against new oil and gas developments.

Read more Rebecca McQuillan

Both the UK and Scottish governments accept that only by leaving some oil and gas in the ground can catastrophic and irreversible climate change impacts be avoided. In the North Sea, existing fields will continue to operate so there will be work in them for years to come.

At the same time, they can see that the transition to renewables is a lifeline for Aberdeen. It stands between the north-east and a bleak post-industrial future after oil – something that the city has been bracing for since I was growing up there in the 1980s. The renewables industry is giving the north-east the promise of an economically brighter future,........

© Herald Scotland