Opening new oil and gas fields in the North Sea would \u201csend a shock wave around the world\u201d, imperilling international climate targets, undermining the UK\u2019s climate leadership and encouraging developing countries to exploit their own fossil fuel reserves, experts have warned.<\/p>\n
The UK government is under stiff pressure from the oil industry, the Conservatives, Nigel Farage\u2019s Reform UK party<\/a>, some trade unions and parts of the Treasury to give the green light to new oil and gas fields, despite clear evidence that doing so would not cut prices<\/a> and would have almost no effect on imports.<\/p>\n Two of the biggest fields remaining in the North Sea, which is more than 90% depleted and where the last pockets are increasingly costly and energy-intensive to extract, are within the licensing system. But the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, if exploited, would displace only 1% and 2%<\/a> respectively of the UK\u2019s gas imports, research has shown.<\/p>\n Senior figures in international climate diplomacy said drilling new fields would be \u201cdangerous\u201d for global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and phase out fossil fuels.<\/p>\n Nicolas Stern, a professor at the London School of Economics, said: \u201cNew drilling and decelerating climate action would be bad for growth and for energy security in the UK, and a damaging signal for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Lord Stern said: \u201cThe UK has been a pioneer in climate action, as the first G7 country to commit to net zero by 2050, through its exemplary climate change legislation, and through its work in international institutions and interactions. Its example matters. Because it has been a pioneer and a leader, the world takes notice of the UK\u2019s actions.\u201d<\/p>\n One senior African negotiator, speaking on condition of anonymity, reacted furiously to the suggestion the UK could open new fields. Africa would \u201creject any proposal for the UK to expand oil drilling\u201d as such a move would be \u201cfundamentally inconsistent with both the letter and spirit of the Paris agreement\u201d and would \u201cweaken trust with climate-vulnerable nations\u201d, they said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt a moment when science is unequivocal about the need for a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, new oil exploration by a historic emitter is as contradictory as it is regressive. It also risks setting a dangerous precedent for other countries to follow,\u201d the negotiator said.<\/p>\n Christiana Figueres said energy independence lay in \u2018scaling clean, domestic energy, not in extending the life of declining industries\u2019. Photograph: Jemal Countess\/Getty Images for Time<\/p>\n Christiana Figueres, a former executive secretary of the UN framework convention on climate change and a co-founder of the Global Optimism thinktank, said economics as well as the risks of climate breakdown argued against the move.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s entirely understandable that in today\u2019s geopolitical context, countries must seek greater energy security and independence,\u201d she said. \u201cBut reaching for solutions of the past \u2013 such as expanding oil and gas drilling \u2013 risks locking in infrastructure that is increasingly out of step with where the global energy system is heading. True energy independence today lies in scaling clean, domestic energy, not in extending the life of declining industries.\u201d<\/p>\n The UK has been one of the main supporters of a global conference taking place in Colombia later this month<\/a> on the \u201ctransition away from fossil fuels\u201d that countries agreed to make three years ago<\/a> but have so far failed to implement.<\/p>\n However, the Guardian has learned that Ed Miliband, the UK\u2019s secretary of state for energy security and net zero, will not attend the gathering of about 50 countries. Rachel Kyte, the government\u2019s climate envoy, will go instead.<\/p>\n Campaigners had been calling for the secretary of state to attend as he was widely credited with helping to bring about a last-minute deal<\/a> at the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil last November.<\/p>\n Experts said that if the UK were to licence new fields before the conference, it could undermine progress on encouraging developing countries to forego fossil fuel-based economies and opt for cleaner energy.<\/p>\n Mohamed Adow, the director of the Power Shift Africa thinktank in Nairobi, said: \u201cThe UK approving new oil and gas projects would send a shock wave around the world that short-term interests are being prioritised over long-term responsibility. I dread to think what example that would set to the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Many developing countries are considering exploiting their own oil and gas resources instead of opting for renewables. If they were to do so, the world would go far beyond the carbon limits needed to stave off the worst ravages of climate breakdown.<\/p>\n