Future Economy Scotland

We’re publishing several major reports in the coming months covering:

🌱 Nature restoration
🔌 The just transition
👷‍♀️ Scotland’s industrial strategy + and more.

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Read the full OBR report here:

The evidence is clear: taking action on climate change today is far cheaper than paying for the consequences of unchecked warming later.

Policymakers need to grasp this — as time is running out.

Meanwhile, the impact on government borrowing will be nearly twice as high if global warming goes unchecked and reaches 3c.

Climate change is a major risk to the public finances.

The OBR also predicts that UK GDP could shrink by 8% by the early 2070s if the world warms by 3c this century — a far larger hit than the 5% previously assumed.

The world is currently on track to warm by more than 3c if existing policies don’t change.

NEW: Reaching net-zero will be much cheaper than previously thought, and the cost of climate breakdown far more severe, according to the OBR.

The amount of investment needed to reach net zero will be just over half as much as previously thought: obr.uk/frs/fiscal-r...

The Land Reform Bill falls far short of what is needed.

Here is our Co-Director @lmacfarlane.bsky.social giving evidence at the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on why the Land Reform Bill needs significant amends.

6/6

Land Reform for a Democratic, Sustainable and Just Scotland Ahead of the Land Reform Bill, this report sets out a bold agenda for land reform.

Our recommendations include bold, credible proposals to:

🟢 Transform land market governance
🟢 Diversify land ownership
🟢 Develop land in the public interest
🟢 Restore nature for a just transition
🟢 Tax land efficiently
🟢 Enhance market transparency

Read more: www.futureeconomy.scot/publications...

In December 2023, ahead of the Land Reform Bill, we set out a bold agenda for land reform that aims to create a more democratic, sustainable and just Scotland.

4/6

An archaic and dysfunctional land market continues to lie at the root of many of Scotland’s most pressing challenges – including the housing crisis, inequality, low productivity, and climate breakdown.

3/6

Land reform has been one of the most significant achievements of the Scottish Parliament.

But despite multiple waves of land reform legislation, the ownership, governance and use of land in Scotland remains stuck in the past.

2/6

As the Land Reform Bill moves through the Scottish Parliament, one thing remains clear.

Without bold changes to how land is owned and managed, Scotland cannot unlock its potential on housing, inequality, productivity, and the climate.

Here's why the Bill matters and where it falls short.

🧵1/6

What does Trump's tariff war mean for Scotland? Tariffs are just one part of Trump's plan to reshape the global economic order in his own image

But as we wrote back in April, Trump’s actions pose bigger threats:

📉 Economic instability
⚠️ Deregulatory race to the bottom
🌍 Reshaping the global order

Read more:

Given how crucial key exporting sectors are to Scotland’s economy, any slump in US sales could harm growth and employment.

At a time when Scotland’s economy is already facing a slowdown, this is a concern.

Donald Trump discusses whisky tariffs and Gaza with John Swinney The two leaders met ahead of the US president's new golf course opening in Aberdeenshire.

The US has imposed a 10% blanket tariff on all UK exports, with separate tariffs for metals and car parts.

Reports suggest the First Minister has sought to exempt Scotch whisky from tariffs — but so far this has been unsuccessful.

In 2024 Scotland exported £3.8 billion of goods across the Atlantic.

When oil and gas is excluded, the US is the top export destination for Scottish goods — particularly food and drink.

What does Trump's tariff war mean for Scotland? Tariffs are just one part of Trump's plan to reshape the global economic order in his own image

As Trump visits Scotland, tariffs have been high on the agenda.

The US is Scotland’s second-largest trading partner. What does Trump’s tariff war mean for Scotland’s economy? 🧵

As another ScotWind round begins, it's important there are reflections on the performance of wind power as an increasingly mature and important industry in the here and now as well as to the future of Scotland.

If we don't ask difficult questions then workers and the public face losing out again.

In this clip, Dr. @ewangibbs.bsky.social, senior lecturer in Economic and Social History at Glasgow University, highlights what we should be asking for in return, as Scotland auctions off the rights to generate vast profits from wind.

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Watch: How can Scotland maximise the benefits of offshore wind? Watch our latest webinar exploring how to maximise the benefits of offshore wind for Scotland

In a recent online discussion, an expert panel - chaired by our Co-Director @miriambrett.bsky.social - shared their thoughts on how Scotland can maximise the benefits of offshore wind.

Watch in full: www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/190-wa...

2/3

With the ScotWind leasing round in motion, Scotland is entering a new phase in offshore wind.

It’s a major opportunity to transition away from fossil fuels and reshape our economy.

But only if we get the foundations right.

🧵1/3

Missing the bus: Alexander Dennis and Scotland’s industrial decline How public money helped to erode Scotland’s industrial base and offshore jobs abroad

The loss of 400 jobs at Alexander Dennis isn’t just a casualty of market forces

It’s a story of how public money has helped to erode Scotland’s industrial base and offshore jobs abroad

Read our latest blog:

Missing the bus: Alexander Dennis and Scotland’s industrial decline How public money helped to erode Scotland’s industrial base and offshore jobs abroad

The loss of 400 jobs at Alexander Dennis wasn’t inevitable

It’s what happens when public money is used to back overseas rivals over Scottish industry

Read our new blog by @lmacfarlane.bsky.social:

NEW: Alexander Dennis’s decision to halt Scottish manufacturing isn’t just a casualty of market forces

It’s a story of how public money has helped to erode Scotland’s industrial base and offshore jobs abroad

New analysis by @lmacfarlane.bsky.social www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/260-mi...

This must involve a more ambitious industrial strategy, and a more proactive approach to stewarding the labour market transition

We will be publishing more work on these areas over the coming months

RGU report issues UK offshore energy industry jobs warning | June 2025 | News | RGU A major new report from Robert Gordon University has warned that the UK risks losing tens of thousands of offshore energy jobs by 2030 unless urgent and coordinated action is taken immediately.

Oil and gas jobs across the UK are set to fall by up to 58,000 by the early 2030s, with much of these in Scotland

To secure a sustainable future for workers, more must be done to create well-paid, secure jobs from Scotland's green energy transition

Jobs in renewable energy remained broadly flat over the year, with Scotland’s burgeoning offshore wind sector creating only 100 new jobs

This reflects a longstanding failure to translate growth of green energy into domestic jobs, posing a risk to Scotland's just transition

Jobs in renewable energy remained broadly flat over the year, with Scotland’s burgeoning offshore wind sector creating only 100 new jobs

This reflects a longstanding failure to translate growth of green energy into domestic jobs, posing a risk to Scotland's just transition

NEW: Green jobs in Scotland increased by 7,500 over the past year, rising to a record high of 33,500

We welcome strong progress in areas like energy efficiency and low carbon vehicles, but some areas of concern remain 🧵

In our latest blog, we call on the Scottish Government to:

🔹Ensure the new Housing Bill is watertight
🔹Resist pressure to water down rent controls
🔹Improve data collection mechanisms

Read our analysis in full: www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/225-wh...