David Cameron has insisted scrapping a £1billion project to limit pollution from power stations was the “right choice”, amid SNP claims that he had betrayed the “entire planet”.
The carbon capture and storage fund, a competition which aimed to develop technology in power stations, was axed by the Government last month.
The Prime Minister told the Commons tough choices need to be made about which technology works.
Callum McCaig, the SNP’s energy and climate change spokesman, said Mr Cameron pledged to deliver carbon capture and storage at Peterhead during last year’s Scottish independence referendum campaign.
He added that the PM reiterated this promise in the Conservative Party manifesto at the general election.
Mr McCaig said: “On the eve of the Paris climate talks, he pulled the plug.
“Can I ask the Prime Minister which he sees as the greatest betrayal – that of Scotland, that of his manifesto or that of the entire planet?”
Mr Cameron insisted the greatest success is the Paris Agreement, in which almost 200 nations agreed fight climate change and aim to keep temperature rises “well below” 2C and commit to strive to curb increases to 1.5C.
The PM added to Mr McCaig: “In Government you have to make tough choices, you have to make decisions about technology that works and technology that isn’t working.
“And we are spending the money on innovation, on energy storage, on small nuclear reactors, on other things, on energy heat systems for local communities that will make a difference.
“To govern is to choose and we made the right choice.”