-
Outcome of government review into future oil and
gas licensing is expected ‘soon’.
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Existing licences for oil and gas extraction
already prevent the UK from being aligned with the Paris
Agreement.
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Greenpeace activists place posters opposite the
BEIS department, calling on the Energy Minister to cancel
future licensing and back a smooth transition to
renewables.
New oil and gas licences in the UK could result in carbon
emissions equivalent to 25 Cumbria coal mines, campaigners have
warned.
If the government goes ahead with plans to issue new oil
and gas licenses in UK waters, this would release up to 5.7
gigatonnes of CO2 emissions when burned. That figure is 25 times
the emissions expected from a proposed coal mine in Cumbria,
which attracted much controversy for the government [1].
Mel Evans, head of Greenpeace UK’s oil campaign, said: “The
UK will make a fool of itself in the run-up to hosting the COP26
global climate talks if our Energy Minister signs off on new oil
and gas licences that serve to rip up the Paris Agreement.
“We know the government has already approved too much oil
and gas extraction to meet our climate obligations under Paris,
and the oil industry itself says that we’ve passed peak oil
demand.
“Energy Minister
must rule out granting any new oil and gas licences, and instead
secure a smooth transition to renewables, to safeguard our energy
sector and the industry’s key workers who keep it going.”
The campaigning group’s warning comes as a small group of
socially distanced Greenpeace activists today placed
posters opposite the government’s Department for Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy, calling on Energy Minister
to stop new licences, retrain oil workers, and invest in
renewables [2]. Greenpeace supporters will today send tweets
directly to the Minister in support of the campaign group’s
messages.
Ms. Trevelyan is under increasing scrutiny around the
anticipated outcome of the government's review into the future of
the UK’s offshore oil and gas licensing regime. Questions on this
may be raised during Business
Questions on Tuesday. Since September 2020, BEIS has been
conducting a review
of how the regime relates to the UK’s climate obligations.
Campaigners have told the
government that any future licences would not be aligned with
the Paris Agreement [3], and would undermine the UK’s credibility
as hosts of this year’s global climate talks, COP26.
Campaigners have urged Energy Minister
to follow
Denmark’s lead and stop issuing new licences, or risk
repeating the embarrassment of the Cumbria coal mine
outcry.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
[1] New oil and gas licences in the North Sea could
result in carbon emissions equivalent to 25 Cumbria coal
mines
Potential emissions from UK oil and gas resources up to
2050 calculated from the Rystad
Country Database (a subscription database) is 5.7 gigatonnes
(GT) of CO2. This is calculated from the total UK production
(included minimal onshore) up to 2050 of oil (producing and in
development, plus discovery and undiscovered) which is 9.8
billion barrels of oil equivalent resulting in 4.1 GT CO2, plus
gas (producing and in development, plus discovery and
undiscovered) which is 4.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent
resulting in 1.6 GT CO2. So the combined potential CO2 emissions
for UK oil and gas to 2050 = 5.7 GT CO2.!
Potential emissions from the proposed Cumbria coal mine
would be 8.4 million tonnes (MT) of CO2 per year (Green
Alliance). West Cumbria Mining plans for production to
commence in 2022 to extract 2.43 million tonnes of coking coal
per year and 0.35 million tonnes of middlings coal every year for
50 years, however the proposed limit by the local council is to
end production in 2049. Therefore, 8.4 MT CO2 per year x 27 years
(from 2022 to 2049) = 227 MT of CO2.
5.7GT / 227MT = 5,700,000,000 / 227,000,000 = 25.1 Cumbria
coal mines equivalent.
[2] Dear Energy Minister… Greenpeace action
22/03/21
Six socially distanced activists wearing COVID-safe masks
took part in an activity at BEIS this morning. Working in three
separate pairs, six people placed posters on windows opposite the
Department building, and attached road signs along the route from
the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy at 1
Victoria Street to the House of Commons at Westminster.
[3] Sea Change: Climate
Emergency, Jobs and Managing the Phase-Out of Oil and Gas
Extraction. “The UK’s 5.7 billion barrels of oil and
gas in already-operating oil and gas fields will exceed the UK’s
share in relation to Paris climate goals…”
