Ahead of his anticipated launch of a revised net zero and energy security strategy on Thursday, UK’s leading scientists have called on the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, to halt the licensing of new oil and gas developments in the UK.
The scientists, including Chris Rapley, former head of the Science Museum and professor at UCL and Mark Maslin, professor of earth system science at UCL, warn that there must be no new developments of oil and gas, for the world to limit global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels.
Backed by more than 700 scientists, the call comes on the eve of the government’s “energy security day”, when a new net zero strategy will be published.
The launch was original to be called “green day”, but the event had been rebranded as “energy security day” because of a planned focus on oil and gas development, alongside renewable energy, and to appease Conservative rightwingers, with Aberdeen, the capital of the UK’s oil and gas industry, already prepared as the launch venue.
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Among the government’s announcements for energy security day are to be a continuation of oil and gas development in the North Sea; carbon capture and storage investments worth about £20bn over two decades; and a boost for renewable energy.
However, the scientists have warned of the disastrous consequences of exceeding 1.5C of global heating, noting that “we already have more than enough coal, oil and gas to overshoot what is deemed our best hope of maintaining a livable climate”, and they urge the prime minister to take a stand.
In a letter, they said, “We are writing as members of the research community on climate science and other related disciplines to call on you to ensure the UK once again demonstrates international leadership by acting on the latest warnings about the escalating climate crisis. This means including in the forthcoming revised net zero strategies a commitment not to approve any new development of onshore or offshore oil and gas fields.”
They also spoke about the stark findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last week, which found in a “sober but devastating” report that the world had only a narrow chance of avoiding disastrous levels of global heating.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
