We are currently way off track to limit warming to 1.5°C, which is deemed the safest, liveable temperature rise still possible. Burning the fossil fuels in existing projects will push us past this target. Adding new developments, like Jackdaw, will push us closer to parts of our world becoming uninhabitable.
Governments must begin phasing out fossil fuel infrastructure now, including the UK, which is the second biggest oil and gas producer in Europe. We cannot let them approve any more oil and gas projects, including Jackdaw.
This government is failing on both counts if it keeps approving new fields like Jackdaw. Right now, most of us are locked into using fossil fuels and forced to pay extortionate heating and fuel bills, all the while knowing that the UK has the best renewable resources in Europe that could supply us with affordable, less polluting energy. Meanwhile, companies like Shell tell us – and our government – that change isn’t possible (yet), while they continue to rip us off.
We should be winding down production of oil and gas while making sure that workers and impacted communities are not left behind – this is what’s called a ‘just transition’.
Done properly, with the right support and investment, the move away from fossil fuels could see three jobs in clean energy for every oil and gas job at risk. Only those currently raking in oil and gas profits would lose.
Explained: How does oil and gas licensing work?
In spite of repeated warnings from climate experts, the UK is planning a licensing round later this year, which would shoot us past the critical temperature threshold. But how does it all work, and why is campaigning important at every stage of the process?
Climate groups threatens legal action over “unlawful” consultation period on windfall tax legislation
Following a formal request to extend the public consultation period of the Energy Profits Levy Bill on the grounds of it being unlawfully short, climate campaigners have sent a pre-action letter to HMRC warning of legal action if the government does not allow more time for scrutiny of the bill.
The cost of living crisis is a climate justice issue - and our government is failing people and planet alike
The cost-of-living and climate crises are intimately linked. The profiteering of energy firms is largely behind the massive increase in energy and fuel costs, yet the UK remains the most profitable country for oil and gas companies. Our reliance on these dirty fuels is driving up bills domestically, and accelerating climate impacts worldwide.