CCC’s assessment spells “paradigm shift” for North Sea oil and gas

Reacting to the Climate Change Committee’s assessment of new North Sea oil and gas fields and their compatibility with the UK’s climate targets, Friends of the Earth’s climate campaigner, Danny Gross, said:

“Recommending a presumption against oil and gas exploration spells a paradigm shift for the future of the North Sea. This assessment bolsters what scientists and the International Energy Agency have already said: that all new fossil fuel projects are incompatible with the international goal of limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees.

“It’s also reassuring that the government’s plan to apply climate tests only to new licensing rounds is totally wrong in the committee’s view. This loophole would allow dozens of carbon-intensive projects that have already been licensed, but not yet approved, to escape these tests.

“The best way to bring energy bills down and shield people from future price shocks is to end our reliance on expensive oil and gas, by investing in renewable energy and insulating our cold, energy inefficient homes.”