A BY-ELECTION in Rutherglen and Hamilton West is still to be formally announced but, when it is, I’m delighted that voters will be able to support bold action to tackle the climate crisis by backing the Scottish Greens’ candidate, Cameron Eadie.

This summer – yet again – has seen extreme weather bringing devastation across different continents.

A marine heatwave in the North Atlantic has been classed as ‘beyond extreme’, threatening the survival of marine life. Antarctic sea ice is at its lowest ever levels – an area the size of Mexico which normally freezes simply didn’t this year.

Meanwhile, the UK Government is already backtracking on the inadequate promises it made at COP26 here in Glasgow less than two years ago.

Rishi Sunak wants to ‘max out’ the North Sea by allowing more than 100 new oil and gas licences. That’s climate vandalism.

But then Keir Starmer, who hopes to replace him as Prime Minister, has refused to cancel those licences, after already U-turning on his so-called green investment pledge.

As we’ve seen here in Glasgow with their flip-flopping on the Low Emission Zone, Labour can’t be trusted on the climate.

It is clear that the only way to guarantee genuine political leadership on the climate crisis – which is the defining and most pressing issue of our age bar none – is to vote for the Scottish Greens.

We are showing in government that the Scottish Greens are prepared to take the bold action which the crisis demands – from record investment in active travel, nature and recycling, to changing how we heat our homes and buildings, and delivering free bus travel for young people.

We can go further still, by opposing new oil and gas, investing in clean energy and a just transition, and curbing the excessive emissions of the super-rich through a super tax on private jets.

Green voices have never been so vital and I hope that voters in Rutherglen and Hamilton West make their votes count, for the climate’s sake.

On a much more disappointing note, the abuse directed at Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie at the launch of Cameron’s campaign this week was disgusting, though not surprising. Greens are used to getting toxic hate aimed at us online.

A colleague said this week that abuse isn’t ‘if’, it’s ‘when’.

They have to carry a personal attack alarm everywhere they go. This is not okay and we should not stand for it.

Patrick was absolutely right to highlight the responsibility which sits with those politicians who have stirred-up this kind of hatred to such a high degree.

Just as we cannot sit by and watch the world burn, we can never let hate win. Scottish Greens will always fight for climate and social justice, for people and the planet.