The UK’s net zero minister, Graham Stuart has been quoted as telling MPs that Oil and gas are “not the problem” for the climate, but the carbon emissions arising from them are.
In words that suggested that the UK could place yet more emphasis on technologies to capture and store carbon, Stuart said that fossil fuel production was not driving climate change, but demand for fossil fuels was.
“I don’t think supply is the key driver – it is demand we need to focus on,” said Stuart, who is expected to attend the Cop28 UN climate summit that begins later this month, where the future of oil and gas production will be under scrutiny.
In the king’s speech, earlier this week, the government set out plans for new oil and gas licensing in the North Sea, which opposition parties and green campaigners said ran contrary to the UK’s climate goals.
Stuart said that the UK had “no problems” on climate policy and was leading the world, in response to questioning from parliament’s environmental audit committee on Wednesday.
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“If you really care about climate change, the last country you need to worry about is the UK,” he told MPs. “We are not the problem, it’s encouraging others to follow us on the net zero pathway, that is the biggest challenge.”
Recall that the UK’s statutory advisers, the committee on climate change (CCC), had warned that the UK is not on a pathway to meet its net zero goals. However, Stuart said the CCC had found aspects of climate policy that were improving.
A group of more than 80 countries, including the UK, called for the phaseout of fossil fuels at the Cop27 UN climate summit in Egypt last year, and are expected to make the same demand at Cop28 in Dubai. However, Stuart’s comments to the committee raised questions over whether the UK would take such a strong position this year.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
