The British government’s current policies are about as far from being consistent with Britain’s net zero plan as it is possible to be, argues RICHARD HEBBERT
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Last week Sunak announced that his government is granting over 100 new licences for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, claiming in a peculiarly Orwellian statement that to do so is “consistent with the UK’s net zero plan.”
It isn’t. How could it possibly be?
Nor should we forget that the Tory government has approved the opening of a new coalmine in Cumbria and effectively banned on-shore windfarms — one of the quickest, cheapest and cleanest forms of renewable energy.
The British government cannot be ignorant of the manifest signs that the Earth’s climate is racing towards catastrophe, even quicker than has been previously forecast and yet it wilfully looks the other way.
Greenpeace activists have climbed onto the roof of Rishi Sunak’s £2m country mansion in protest at his backing for a major expansion of oil and gas drilling amid a climate crisis
Four Greenpeace activists climbed onto the roof of the Prime Minister’s £2m manor house in Yorkshire earlier this morning in protest at his backing for a major expansion of North Sea oil and gas drilling amidst a summer of escalating climate impacts.
After reaching the top of the building using ladders and climbing ropes, the activists unfolded 200 sq metres of oil-black fabric to cover a whole side of the luxury mansion. At the same time, two activists unfurled a banner emblazoned with the words “Rishi Sunak – Oil Profits or Our Future?” across the grass in front of the manor house.
Sunak’s government has come under heavy criticism for pushing ahead with plans to hand out around 100 new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, and even hinting at additional ones in future. He has also indicated that he will approve drilling at Rosebank – the UK’s largest undeveloped oil field. The controversial move flies in the face of multiple warnings from the government’s own climate advisers, the International Energy Agency and the UN Secretary General that any new fossil fuel projects risk tipping the world into the danger zone above 1.5C of warming.
The move, part of a series of climate policy row-backs following the Uxbridge by-election results, comes amidst a summer of devastating wildfires, floods and heatwaves. July has seen the hottest three-week period ever recorded, the three hottest days on record, and the warmest ocean temperatures ever for this season.
Campaigners are warning that any new oil and gas from the North Sea will do nothing for our energy security or bills despite government rhetoric. The companies that own it will simply export it overseas, and any that is sold back to us will be done so at the international market price.
Commenting on the protest, Philip Evans, Greenpeace UK’s climate campaigner, said:
“We desperately need our prime minister to be a climate leader, not a climate arsonist. Just as wildfires and floods wreck homes and lives around the world, Sunak is committing to a massive expansion of oil and gas drilling. He seems quite happy to hold a blowtorch to the planet if he can score a few political points by sowing division around climate in this country. This is cynical beyond belief.
“Sunak is even willing to peddle the old myth about new oil and gas helping ordinary people struggling with energy bills when he knows full well it’s not true. More North Sea drilling will only benefit oil giants who stand to make even more billions from it, partly thanks to a giant loophole in Sunak’s own windfall tax.
“The experts are clear – we can’t afford any new oil and gas, and the fossil fuel industry certainly doesn’t need another helping hand in destroying the climate. What we need is a clean, affordable energy system fit for the 21st century. It’s time for Sunak to choose between Big Oil’s profits or our future on a habitable planet.”
The Sunak government is also expected to approve Rosebank, the largest undeveloped oil field in the North Sea. And thanks to a loophole in Sunak’s windfall tax, the UK public will foot the bill for 91% of the development costs as the Norwegian oil giant that owns it, Equinor, will be handed £3.75billion of public money to develop the field whilst being able to rake in tens of billions in profits.
There is wide agreement that there should be no new oil and gas exploration or development. Former Tory Net Zero Tsar, Chris Skidmore, has called for Rosebank to be halted, and former COP President and Tory MP, Alok Sharma, has also spoken out against Rosebank, highlighting that it won’t help bring down energy bills.
“The U.K. government is blatantly in denial about climate breakdown.”
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Monday that his government will approve hundreds of new licenses for oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, drawing anger from climate advocates who say he’s doing the bidding of the fossil fuel industry amid a nightmarish wave of extreme weather.
Paying lip service to the nation’s net-zero emissions target, the Tory leader also laid out plans for two new carbon capture and storage facilities in Northeast Scotland and the Humber, lining up behind an oil industry-backed approach to reining in pollution that critics say is a false solution to the global climate crisis.
“Burning oil and gas is driving extreme weather and killing people on every continent, yet Rishi Sunak is gleefully encouraging the arsonists to go and put more fuel on the fire,” said Mary Church, a campaigner with Friends of the Earth Scotland. “By committing to future licensing rounds on the same day, it’s clear to see that carbon capture is little more than a greenwashing tactic by Big Oil to try and keep their climate-wrecking industry in business.”
Major fossil fuel giants such as Shell and BP have maintained oil and gas facilities in the North Sea for years. According to a recent analysis by Greenpeace, oil and gas licenses approved by the U.K. government over the past two years are set to generate as much carbon dioxide as Denmark emits annually—roughly the equivalent of 14 million cars.
“History will view this as an act of gross criminality. Our future sacrificed for the profits of a tiny elite.”
Philip Evans of Greenpeace U.K. said Monday that Sunak’s new announcements are “nothing but a cynical political ploy to sow division, and the climate is collateral damage.”
“Just as wildfires and floods wreck homes and lives around the world, Rishi Sunak’s government has decided to row back on key climate policies, attempted to toxify net zero, and recycled old myths about North Sea drilling,” said Evans. “Relying on fossil fuels is terrible for our energy security, the cost of living, and the climate. Our sky-high bills and recent extreme weather have demonstrated that.”
“Rishi Sunak knows that any oil and gas from the North Sea will just be sold on the international market, making oil companies even richer at the expense of the rest of us. How will this help our bills exactly?” Evans asked, countering the prime minister’s claims that new drilling will enhance the U.K.’s “energy security.”
“If Sunak were serious about boosting our energy security while keeping energy bills down,” Evans continued, “he’d remove the absurd barriers holding back cheap, homegrown renewables and launch a nationwide insulation program to tackle energy waste in our homes.”
Nick Dearden, director of the U.K.-based advocacy group Global Justice Now, wrote that “history will view this as an act of gross criminality. Our future sacrificed for the profits of a tiny elite.”
“The talk of securing our independence couldn’t be further from the truth,” Dearden added. “This leaves us on the hook for £billions, even if the next govt rescinds these contracts, as they must, the fossil fuel elite will pocket a fortune at our expense.”
In addition to the new drilling license commitments, the Financial Times reported Sunday that the U.K. government has “made it cheaper for industry to pollute in Britain compared with the E.U. by watering down reforms to the carbon market.”
“The U.K. government is blatantly in denial about climate breakdown,” said Church.
Just Stop Oil protesting in London 6 December 2022.
The Capitalists have destroyed the planet. The big oil companies knew decades ago that they were destroying the planet and that they will be killing people but continued regardless. World governments have known for decades that the oil companies are destroying the planet and did very little much too late. Temperature records are getting broken on a daily basis. Even today Rishi Sunak’s UK government is refusing to stop oil and gas exploration.
We need to discard these Capitalists who are destroying our planet and replace them with people who can be trusted to take climate action. If you care for the future, you need to express yourself and depose the Capitalist facilitators of Climate destruction.
Deep-sea mining is an emerging extractive industry that removes mineral deposits from the ocean’s seabed. If allowed, huge machines that could weigh more than a blue whale will be lowered to the ocean floor where they will strip, dredge or cut deposits from deep ocean ecosystems. It may have a devastating impact and more than 750 scientists have called for a halt to the industry before it starts.
Calling on the UK government to act, each ad reads: “Deforestation is a catastrophe. Deep-sea mining doesn’t have to be another. Our government can help stop it before it starts.”
Ariana Densham, head of oceans at Greenpeace UK, said: “If allowed to start, deep-sea mining would be a catastrophe for our oceans and marine life. The UK government calls itself a leader on ocean protection and yet it’s refusing to back calls from hundreds of scientists as well as other governments around the world for a pause or moratorium.
