Sign up for our newsletter.

Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.

Follow us:

Oil rig off the coast of Scotland

Greenpeace activists board a BP oil rig in Cromarty Firth, Scotland to stop it from further oil drilling at sea on June 10th 2019. Campaigners are decrying a plan to develop a new oil field in Scotland months ahead of a global climate action summit in Glasgow. (Photo: Kristian Buus/In Pictures via Getty Images Images)

Proposed New Oil Field in Scotland Ahead of Glasgow Climate Talks Decried as 'Obscenity'

"If ministers are serious about facing up to the climate crisis they must end their support for climate wrecking fossil fuels at home and abroad."

Julia Conley

Climate action campaigners on Wednesday demanded that the U.K. government reject plans by two fossil fuel giants to develop a large new oil field in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland's Shetland Islands—which have been announced as officials prepare for a global conference on the need to end fossil fuel extraction to mitigate the climate crisis.

"A managed phase out of oil and gas is necessary to protect people who work in this industry, their communities, and the climate." 
—Caroline Rance, FOE Scotland

Friends of the Earth Scotland called the possible approval of the Cambo oil field project "completely indefensible" and said it "would further damage the U.K.’s credibility on climate action ahead of the U.N. climate conference COP26 later this year."
 
COP26, formally known as the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, is scheduled to take place in November, 400 miles south of Shetland. Officials are expected to negotiate possible funding for vulnerable countries that have already sustained damage from the planetary emergency, financing for climate action in the Global South, nature-based solutions, and timeframes for countries' individual emission reduction plans. 
 
"It is an obscenity that these plans are being progressed just months before the UN climate talks are due to take place in Glasgow," said Caroline Rance, a climate campaigner for Friends of the Earth (FOE) Scotland.
 
The proposal is being pushed by Shell Oil, which would control 30% of the Cambo oil field, and Siccar Point Energy, which would own 70%. The oil field contains over 800 million barrels of oil, the extraction of which would have a climate impact equivalent to 10 times Scotland's annual emissions.
 
In its first phase, the project would extract 150 million barrels—"as polluting as running 16 coal-fired power stations for a year," said FOE Scotland.
 
"Both the U.K. and Scottish governments must end their hypocritical support for drilling for every last drop of climate-wrecking oil and gas, and instead develop a clear plan for winding down fossil fuel extraction while building up support for retraining workers and supporting communities," Rance said. "That has to start with saying no to Cambo."
 
Siccar and Shell aim to continue producing oil at Cambo until 2050, while Scotland has said it plans to reach net-zero emissions five years earlier. Yet, FOE said, the government has not signaled its objection to the plan.
 
FOE spoke out against the companies' proposal a month after the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report stating that to reach net-zero fossil fuel emissions by 2050, policymakers must end all new investments in oil, gas, and coal extraction.
 
According to The Herald, the government is not considering the Cambo oil field proposal in its "climate checkpoint," which determines whether new oil developments are compatible with climate goals, because the companies originally sought licensing in 2001 and 2004.
 
"In terms of oil, it's not a new license, there are no new licenses this year," climate change minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan told the Scottish Affairs Committee Wednesday.
 
Rachel Kennerley, an international climate campaigner at FOE England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, said in a statement that "if ministers are serious about facing up to the climate crisis they must end their support for climate wrecking fossil fuels at home and abroad."
 
The IEA noted in its report that millions of new jobs could be created through worldwide investments in clean energy—a possibility FOE demanded policymakers in Scotland and the rest of the U.K. consider.
 
"A managed phase out of oil and gas is necessary to protect people who work in this industry, their communities, and the climate," said Rance. "This means no new oil and gas licenses and a plan for a rapid and fair transition away from fossil fuels."
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Comments

This is the world we live in. This is the world we cover.

Because of people like you, another world is possible. There are many battles to be won, but we will battle them together—all of us. Common Dreams is not your normal news site. We don't survive on clicks. We don't want advertising dollars. We want the world to be a better place. But we can't do it alone. It doesn't work that way. We need you. If you can help today—because every gift of every size matters—please do. Without Your Support We Simply Don't Exist.

Please select a donation method:

Credit Card
PayPal Logo Donate via Paypal

Related

Line 3 protesters in Willow River, Minnesota

Water Protectors Protesting at Willow River Warn Line 3 'Is a Catastrophic Threat'

Jessica Corbett ·

A woman walks past a notice announcing unavailability of Covid-19 vaccine doses.

'Humanity Must Stand Together': Top Medical Ethicists Demand Vaccine Patent Waivers

Julia Conley ·

Covid-19 patient on a stretcher in Indonesia

'It Didn't Have to Be This Way': WHO Chief Laments 4 Million Covid-19 Deaths

Andrea Germanos ·

Green New Deal protesters outside the White House.

Global Alliance for a Green New Deal Launches Visionary Campaign for the World

Andrea Germanos ·

Latest News

See all
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks at a rally

AOC Slams Conservative Dems Who Would Rather Skip Town Than Vote to Extend Eviction Ban

"We cannot in good faith blame the Republican Party when House Democrats have the majority."

Jake Johnson ·

A sign urging Congress to fight evictions at all costs

'A Devastating Failure': Eviction Ban Expires as House Goes on Vacation and Biden Refuses to Act

"We’re now in an eviction emergency," said Rep. Cori Bush. "Eleven million are now at risk of losing their homes at any moment. The House needs to reconvene and put an end to this crisis."

Jake Johnson ·

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Nina Turner

With Election Days Away, Bernie Sanders Headlines Get-Out-the-Vote Rally for Nina Turner

In his keynote speech, Sanders said corporate interests are pulling out all the stops to defeat Turner because "they know that when she is elected, she is going to stand up and take them on in the fight for justice."

Jake Johnson ·

Reps. Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley sleep outside the Capitol

Bush, Pressley, and Omar Sleep Outside Capitol to Demand Extension of Eviction Moratorium

Rep. Cori Bush, who was formerly unhoused, slammed her Democratic colleagues who "chose to go on vacation early today rather than staying to vote to keep people in their homes."

Jake Johnson ·

Cuba embargo

As Progressives Call for End to Blockade, Biden Announces More Sanctions Against Cuba

The move comes after Democratic leadership in the House blocked an amendment to roll back limits on how much money people in the United States can send to family on the island nation.

Jessica Corbett ·

Most Popular

 
  1. Planet's Vital Signs Are Reaching Dangerous 'Tipping Points' Amid Climate Crisis, Scientists Warn
  2. For First Time on Record, US Renewables Generated More Electricity Than Either Coal or Nuclear in 2020
  3. As Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Reached, Sinema Comes Out Against $3.5 Trillion Package
  4. 'Just Say That the Election Was Corrupt,' Trump Told DOJ in December
  5. Progressives Threaten to Tank Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal If Their Demands Aren't Met
  6. Science Museum Just Killed Its 'Own Reputation,' Says Greta Thunberg After Docs Reveal Gag Clause With Shell
  7. Bush, Pressley, and Omar Sleep Outside Capitol to Demand Extension of Eviction Moratorium
  8. Pelosi Under Fire for Parroting 'Right-Wing Lies' Against Student Loan Debt Cancellation
  9. Moving From Neglect to Dignity in the S.S.I. Program
  10. 'Turn This Destruction Around': 5 Months Left in 2021 But Humanity's Used Up Earth's Ecological Budget