Anger at decision to exploit UK fossil fuel reserves

02 August 2023

Anger and dismay has been expressed from all sides of the political spectrum at Rishi Sunak's confirmation on 31 July that new licences would be issued for oil and gas exploration in UK waters.

From an article in The Guardian  31 July 2023  Severin Carrell, Peter Walker and Helena Horton
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Chris Skidmore, the Conservative MP who led a review for the government into net zero, was fiercely critical of the North Sea plans, calling it “the wrong decision at precisely the wrong time”.

He said: “It is on the wrong side of a future economy that will be founded on renewable and clean industries, and not fossil fuels.

“It is on the wrong side of modern voters who will vote with their feet at the next general election for parties that protect, and not threaten, our environment. And it is on the wrong side of history, that will not look favourably on the decision taken today.”

Green groups were even more scathing. Oxfam’s climate policy adviser, Lyndsay Walsh, said: “Extracting more fossil fuels from the North Sea will send a wrecking ball through the UK’s climate commitments at a time when we should be investing in a just transition to a low-carbon economy and our own abundant renewables.”

Mike Childs, the head of policy for Friends of the Earth, said: “Climate change is already battering the planet with unprecedented wildfires and heatwaves across the globe. Granting hundreds of new oil and gas licences will simply pour more fuel on the flames, while doing nothing for energy security as these fossil fuels will be sold on international markets and not reserved for UK use.”

Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow climate secretary, said the proposals were “economic illiteracy” which would “do nothing for our energy security and drive a coach and horses through our climate commitments”.

No 10 insists that expanded UK production of oil and gas will help keep bills lower and reduced emissions from not having to ship supplies from overseas will help with net zero targets.

Read the full article

The long view from Friends of the Earth
The Guardian  2 August  Mary Church  FoES Head of Campaigns

Lord Deben on North Sea oil and gas drilling at Bonn climate conference
The Guardian  6 June 2023  Fiona Harvey

The Prime Minister also announced the selection for development by 2030 of two major Carbon Capture and Storage projects, the Acorn project at the St Fergus gas terminal at Peterhead and Viking in the Humber.  These follow the two earlier projects selected in 2021, one in Humber and Teesside, and the other in Liverpool Bay, set to come into use by the mid-2020s.  The government cancelled a previous £1bn CCS programme six years ago.