Today the UK formally announced its plans for a new licensing round, which could lead to over 100 new licences. New oil & gas is incompatible with a liveable climate. But the UK is refusing to face the facts. Here’s what you need to know about the new licensing round and what steps the government took today.
First, it adopted the recommendations and plan of the Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). This is the process of appraisal through which environmental protection and sustainable development may be considered at a UK-wide level for offshore energy - including oil and gas licensing. The Government concludes “that there are no overriding environmental considerations that would prevent the achievement of our draft plan/programme” including new licencing rounds. The plan will last for four years.
Second, it undertook a “Climate Compatibility Checkpoint”. The design of this test was published for the first time today. The test assesses performance on production emissions reduction of the oil and gas industry, benchmarks production emissions in a global context and assesses whether the UK will continue to remain a net-importer of oil and gas. Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said that “having reviewed the results of these tests in the context of a 33rd licensing round, it has been decided that a 33rd licensing round is compatible with the UK’s climate objectives.”
If you’re thinking this doesn’t sound like a proper assessment of the climate impact… you’re right.
The government acknowledges [in its announcement today] that the world is producing far more oil and gas than we can burn if we are to hope to maintain a liveable climate. So, it is not in denial. But it is abdicating all responsibility for it, blaming the ‘improbability of global cooperation’ to reduce fossil fuel production as a reason not to act.
The UK used to claim to lead the world when it came to tackling the climate crisis. This government appears to have given up on this role and its ambition. It has entirely capitulated to the oil and gas industry.
The government is also trying to pass the buck to the regulator for decisions on new licensing rounds. This is a cowardly attempt by Ministers to avoid taking responsibility for actions that worsen the climate crisis. The long-awaited climate compatibility checkpoint is meaningless. It could reveal that emissions from a planned development are astronomical and Ministers wouldn’t be bound to reject it. It is also a scandal that it excludes emissions from burning the oil and gas (scope 3 emissions). Take the Rosebank oil field, the UK’s largest undeveloped field, which is now up for approval. Burning Rosebank’s oil and gas would create more CO2 than the combined CO2 emissions of all 28 low-income countries in the world, yet the so-called climate compatibility test will have nothing to say on this.
These plans to boost UK energy security with more domestic gas production also need a huge reality check. No amount of ideologically-driven, political will can change geology: after nearly 50 years of North Sea drilling, we’ve burned most of the UK’s gas, and most (70%) of what’s left is oil, 80% of which we export. Around 200 new drilling licences have been issued in the last eight years, but barely a handful of these are producing any oil and gas today.
It’s a fool’s game to double down on oil and gas, when the real solutions to both the climate and cost-of-living crises are so obvious. By far the quickest and cheapest way to achieve energy security is to cut waste through a national rollout of home insulation, and an acceleration of homegrown renewable energy, which is now nine times cheaper than UK gas.
With the right support, the UK could create 3 jobs for every single job at risk in the oil & gas industry. But the this government is refusing to do that. Each new field, each new licensing round delays a just transition to renewable energy.
At the end of the day, most of the licences that Liz Truss is promising won’t amount to new fields. But for the ones that do, we’ll be there to fight them.
Today, we #StopRosebank. Tomorrow, we'll stop whatever they throw at us next. If you haven't yet, please sign this petition and demand the UK government stop Rosebank and this new licensing round.
