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Jun 05, 2023

Leading organisations warn against new oil and gas fields

More than 140 environmental and social justice organisations have warned that

More than 140 environmental and social justice organisations have warned that opening new oil and gas fields would lock the UK into higher energy bills for longer.

In a letter to the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, the organisations, which have millions of UK supporters, said new oil and gas exploration would not improve UK energy security and would make securing a liveable planet much harder.

The organisations, including RSPB, the National Federation of Women's Institutes, Save the Children, Friends of the Earth, WWF-UK and UNISON Scotland, welcomed Sir Keir's commitment to end new oil and gas developments.

They dismissed claims by the oil and gas industry that the North Sea remained central to UK energy security.

Last month, Labour confirmed it would block all new domestic oil and gas developments if it became the next government.

A signatory of the letter to Sir Keir was GMB for a Green New Deal, a branch of the GMB union, which represents people in the oil and gas sectors.

But today, the GMB general secretary, Gary Smith, who has often supported fracking, said the oil and gas industry needed "plans not bans".

He told his union's annual congress today:

"We have to fix and secure our energy supply if we are to face down threats from authoritarian regimes in the world and find a workable way to achieve net zero."

He said:

"our future requires a mix of energy sources – new nuclear, renewables, hydrogen, and oil and gas. It would be a huge mistake to put all the nation's eggs in one energy basket."

In response to Mr Smith's comments, Friends of the Earth's head of climate, Japie Peters, said:

"Ending new gas, oil and coal developments is a no brainer and should be a key policy for any party that's serious about our nation's wellbeing and future prosperity.

"There's no debate that workers’ rights must be part of the move to a zero carbon energy system. Investing in renewables and energy efficiency measures will boost the economy, create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, increase energy security and help bring down our energy bills for good. It is vital that Labour's policy comes with plans to support a fair transition and supports oil and gas workers to move into secure and well-paid jobs in the green industries of the future.

"We can be a world leader in the race to a net-zero future by moving away from the fossil fuels of the past to scale up our huge potential for homegrown renewables. Onshore wind and solar energy is cheaper than gas, quick to build and popular with voters of all parties."

The letter to Sir Keir was signed by a grassroots section of the Unite union.

But last week, the union's general secretary, Sharon Graham, said the UK needed a properly-planned transition that would "guarantee jobs, pay and conditions for all the tens of thousands of workers in the North Sea and supporting industries".

The letter said the only way to ensure secure affordable energy was to "accelerate domestic renewable energy production and improve the energy efficiency of our buildings".

It said:

"New oil and gas fields put more money in the hands of rich energy companies and foreign governments whilst leaving Britain colder and poorer."

The letter also pointed to international agreement on the need to phase out oil and gas. This is now supported by the International Energy Agency, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the World Health Organisation, the UN Secretary General and the government's net zero advisor, Chris Skidmore MP, the letter said.

Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, which campaigns against fossil fuels, said:

"Labour have clearly looked below the surface and seen that new North Sea drilling is a terrible deal for the UK public. It won't lower energy bills because the companies that own the oil and gas either export it or sell it back to us for enormous profit; and we’re giving oil and gas companies billions in subsidies at a time they’re making record profits.

"Countless scientists have also made it clear that any new oil and gas fields will mean we blow past safe climate limits, so focusing on renewable energy rather than doubling down on oil and gas production is the obvious solution to our energy affordability crisis and the climate crisis.

"At a time when a record number of oil and gas workers are also going on strike, it's clear this isn't an industry that provides the sustainable, decent jobs we need either."

Categories: Campaign, Industry, slider

Tagged as: accelerate, domestic, energy efficienty, Friends of the Earth, Gary Smith, gas, GMB, Jamie Peters, letter, oil, renewable energy, Sharon Graham, Sir Keir Starmer, Tessa Khan, Uplift