UK opening new oil and gas fields would imperil global climate goals, experts say
Why it matters: Exploiting new North Sea oil and gas fields risks undermining the UK's 2050 net-zero commitment and global climate efforts.
- Experts warn that new North Sea oil and gas fields would "send a shock wave around the world," imperiling international climate targets and undermining the UK’s climate leadership.
- The UK government faces pressure from the oil industry, Conservatives, Reform UK, some trade unions, and parts of the Treasury to approve new fields, despite evidence they wouldn't cut prices or significantly affect imports.
- Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, two of the biggest remaining in the North Sea, would displace only 1% and 2% respectively of the UK’s gas imports, according to research.
- Nicolas Stern, a professor at the London School of Economics, states that new drilling would be "bad for growth and for energy security in the UK," and a "damaging signal for the world."
- A senior African negotiator reacted furiously, stating Africa would "reject any proposal for the UK to expand oil drilling" as it's "fundamentally inconsistent with both the letter and spirit of the Paris agreement."
- Christiana Figueres, former UN climate change executive secretary, argues that expanding oil and gas risks locking in infrastructure that is "out of step with where the global energy system is heading."
Experts warn that the UK's potential approval of new North Sea oil and gas fields, like Rosebank and Jackdaw, would severely jeopardize international climate goals, undermine its global leadership, and encourage other nations to exploit their own fossil fuel reserves. Despite pressure from industry and some political factions, research indicates these fields would only minimally impact UK gas imports and prices, while risking significant diplomatic fallout and setting a dangerous precedent for climate action.
