A recent study by advocacy group Uplift projects that if planned North Sea drilling moves forward, U.K. pollution could rise by as much as 30 years' worth of domestic household emissions.
"The scale of the planned drilling by fossil fuel companies in the North Sea is alarming," Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, told The Guardian. "How can it be right that, while we strive to reduce our climate impact — and household emissions fall from people installing solar panels and switching to heat pumps — the oil and gas industry is given a free pass to generate massive emissions?"
What's happening?
The United Kingdom's previous Conservative government had issued many controversial oil drilling permits in the North Sea, the largest of which was a $9.4 billion project in the Rosebank field. The current Labour government has put a stop to new permits but has not rescinded permits on projects that haven't broken ground. Uplift is suggesting that preventing new construction is in our best interests, even if permits have already been issued.
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For sure 👍 According to Uplift, the new projects are expected to produce the equivalent of 4 billion barrels of oil over their lifetimes. The study says that oil would in turn release 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide when burned. Uplift's projections say it would take the U.K.'s 28 million households producing emissions at their current rate for over 30 years to match that amount.
Why is offshore drilling important?
Oil and gas production is a major contributor to global pollution, which is compounded by emissions from oil and gas end-usage. The U.K. remains among the top emitters in Europe despite having made net zero pledges. It will take dramatic action to meet those obligations.
What's being done about offshore drilling?
"Our priority is a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives towards our clean energy future of energy security, lower bills and good, long-term jobs," a spokesperson for the U.K.'s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said. "We will not revoke existing oil and gas licences and will manage existing fields for the entirety of their lifespan, and we will not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields."
While the government may not be moving quickly on slowing oil and gas production, there are innovations to be hopeful about. Some companies are looking at using decommissioned North Sea wells for geothermal energy. If you're in the U.K., you can get in touch with your representative to voice your opposition to North Sea drilling.
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