The UK Government is facing an opposition from climate activists following its approval of the Abigail oil and gas field, off the east coast of Scotland.
The approval by the government’s Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) in January 2022 came weeks after the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) was held in Glasgow.
At the conference, held in November 2021, climate experts warned that new fossil fuel developments would not align with the world’s climate targets.
Opposing the OGA’s decision, climate activists said that the offshore field will not do much to help secure energy supplies due to its diminutive gas reserves, and would also lead to carbon emissions.
Uplift director Tessa Khan said that the field would “see little to no benefit for UK energy customers or taxpayers, which only worsens the climate crisis, and where the only winners are the oil firm behind the project”.
Khan said the government needs to focus on reducing its dependence on “very expensive, highly polluting energy.
“The government needs to stop rolling over for the oil and gas industry, stop dishing out licences, and get on with making sure people have access to affordable, renewable energy,” Khan added.
Opposing the approval, Friends of the Earth Scotland climate and energy campaigner Caroline Rance said: “The UK government should immediately stop granting permission for new oil and gas projects, and instead begin a managed phase-out of existing fields while ensuring a just transition for affected workers and communities.”
