UK business and energy secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, made a hypocritical and ludicrous statement to the House of Commons on 24 March 2021 [1] claiming the UK government will simultaneously support the UK’s commitment to net zero while at the same time securing an ongoing presence of the oil and gas sector in the North Sea.

How is he going to achieve this miracle? By supporting the oil and gas industry to “decarbonise North Sea production” over the long term while granting them licences to explore for more oil and gas. Wonderful!

But what about the carbon emissions produced when the oil and gas are burned? Oh well, that’s a totally different question, and it’s not Mr Kwarteng’s problem. He just wants to support the UK offshore oil and gas industry which currently supports around 260,000 jobs across the UK.

As the Guardian reported [2], he has dashed hope among green campaigners and policy experts that the UK would follow the lead of Denmark and France [3] by agreeing to ban new oil exploration licences.

The deal sends “a clear message around the world” that the UK will be “a nation of clean energy”, Kwarteng said, trying not to laugh. How cynical can politicians get?

Sign the Petition

Greenpeace has started a petition asking for “Commit to no new oil in the North Sea and support oil workers and communities in the transition towards renewable energy”.

References

[1] https://www.decomnorthsea.com/news/2021/march/statement-from-kwasi-kwarteng-north-sea-transition-deal-and-package-of-measures/

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/24/uk-government-to-allow-new-north-sea-oil-and-gas-exploration

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/dec/04/denmark-to-end-new-oil-and-gas-exploration-in-north-sea

[4] https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/page/s/end-new-oil