Why We Must Halt Drilling in the Jackdaw Gas Field
Environmental campaigners threaten legal action in a bid to halt development of the Jackdaw gas field.
Greenpeace insisted that by giving the development the green light the Government had "shown no regard" for emissions or the project's "ultimate climate impact."
The approval gives the go-ahead for drilling of four production wells, and the installation of a 31 km pipeline from the Jackdaw WHP to the Shearwater platform in the Central North Sea.
Realistic
Ami McCarthy of Greenpeace UK added: "We think that's unlawful, we're looking at legal action to stop Jackdaw, and fight this every step of the way."
Her comments came after UK Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed Shell had been given the go-ahead for the field, which is situated in waters to the east of Aberdeen.
The energy giant Shell says that its peak, Jackdaw "is expected to deliver 6.5% of UKCS (UK Continental Shelf) gas production for less than 1% of UKCS emissions and produce an amount of energy equivalent to heating over 1.4 million UK homes."
Breach
Mr. Kwarteng confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the "Jackdaw gas field - originally licensed in 1970 - has today received final regulatory approval."
He tweeted: "We're turbocharging renewables and nuclear, but we are also realistic about our energy needs now.
"Let's source more of the gas we need from British waters to protect energy security."
But the decision sparked anger from environmental campaigners, with Ms. McCarthy claiming that giving it the go-ahead was a "desperate and destructive decision from Johnson's Government."
Activists organised a protest outside Queen Elizabeth House, the UK Government hub in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon. And over 3,600 people signed a petition by Friends of the Earth Scotland, Greenpeace, and Uplift opposing the field.
Addiction
She added: "Once again, they're handing out lucrative permits to the likes of Shell for a project that won't start producing gas for years, that won't lower our bills, but will create massive emissions causing deadly flooding and wildfires, and mass migration from people fleeing the climate crisis."
Kate Norgrove, the executive director of advocacy and campaigns at WWF, branded the decision a "staggering backward step for the climate."
She argued: "The most cost-effective solution to the energy crisis is to end our addiction to harmful fossil fuels once and for all, through the rapid scaling up of renewables and a turbocharged effort to make our homes energy efficient
"The UK Government must rapidly rethink their direction of travel, which represents a clear breach of their legally binding net-zero commitments."
Solutions
Tessa Khan of the campaign group Uplift claimed meanwhile that approving Jackdaw was "extremely disappointing and misconceived."
She told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland program: "It is a disastrous and wrong-headed decision from the Government when people need real solutions."
Ms. Khan added: "Of course, we know that we can't actually have any new oil or gas infrastructure or fields if we are going to stay within a liveable climate."
FINAL DAY! This is urgent.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just hours left in our Spring Campaign, we're still falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Greenpeace insisted that by giving the development the green light the Government had "shown no regard" for emissions or the project's "ultimate climate impact."
The approval gives the go-ahead for drilling of four production wells, and the installation of a 31 km pipeline from the Jackdaw WHP to the Shearwater platform in the Central North Sea.
Realistic
Ami McCarthy of Greenpeace UK added: "We think that's unlawful, we're looking at legal action to stop Jackdaw, and fight this every step of the way."
Her comments came after UK Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed Shell had been given the go-ahead for the field, which is situated in waters to the east of Aberdeen.
The energy giant Shell says that its peak, Jackdaw "is expected to deliver 6.5% of UKCS (UK Continental Shelf) gas production for less than 1% of UKCS emissions and produce an amount of energy equivalent to heating over 1.4 million UK homes."
Breach
Mr. Kwarteng confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the "Jackdaw gas field - originally licensed in 1970 - has today received final regulatory approval."
He tweeted: "We're turbocharging renewables and nuclear, but we are also realistic about our energy needs now.
"Let's source more of the gas we need from British waters to protect energy security."
But the decision sparked anger from environmental campaigners, with Ms. McCarthy claiming that giving it the go-ahead was a "desperate and destructive decision from Johnson's Government."
Activists organised a protest outside Queen Elizabeth House, the UK Government hub in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon. And over 3,600 people signed a petition by Friends of the Earth Scotland, Greenpeace, and Uplift opposing the field.
Addiction
She added: "Once again, they're handing out lucrative permits to the likes of Shell for a project that won't start producing gas for years, that won't lower our bills, but will create massive emissions causing deadly flooding and wildfires, and mass migration from people fleeing the climate crisis."
Kate Norgrove, the executive director of advocacy and campaigns at WWF, branded the decision a "staggering backward step for the climate."
She argued: "The most cost-effective solution to the energy crisis is to end our addiction to harmful fossil fuels once and for all, through the rapid scaling up of renewables and a turbocharged effort to make our homes energy efficient
"The UK Government must rapidly rethink their direction of travel, which represents a clear breach of their legally binding net-zero commitments."
Solutions
Tessa Khan of the campaign group Uplift claimed meanwhile that approving Jackdaw was "extremely disappointing and misconceived."
She told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland program: "It is a disastrous and wrong-headed decision from the Government when people need real solutions."
Ms. Khan added: "Of course, we know that we can't actually have any new oil or gas infrastructure or fields if we are going to stay within a liveable climate."
Greenpeace insisted that by giving the development the green light the Government had "shown no regard" for emissions or the project's "ultimate climate impact."
The approval gives the go-ahead for drilling of four production wells, and the installation of a 31 km pipeline from the Jackdaw WHP to the Shearwater platform in the Central North Sea.
Realistic
Ami McCarthy of Greenpeace UK added: "We think that's unlawful, we're looking at legal action to stop Jackdaw, and fight this every step of the way."
Her comments came after UK Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed Shell had been given the go-ahead for the field, which is situated in waters to the east of Aberdeen.
The energy giant Shell says that its peak, Jackdaw "is expected to deliver 6.5% of UKCS (UK Continental Shelf) gas production for less than 1% of UKCS emissions and produce an amount of energy equivalent to heating over 1.4 million UK homes."
Breach
Mr. Kwarteng confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the "Jackdaw gas field - originally licensed in 1970 - has today received final regulatory approval."
He tweeted: "We're turbocharging renewables and nuclear, but we are also realistic about our energy needs now.
"Let's source more of the gas we need from British waters to protect energy security."
But the decision sparked anger from environmental campaigners, with Ms. McCarthy claiming that giving it the go-ahead was a "desperate and destructive decision from Johnson's Government."
Activists organised a protest outside Queen Elizabeth House, the UK Government hub in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon. And over 3,600 people signed a petition by Friends of the Earth Scotland, Greenpeace, and Uplift opposing the field.
Addiction
She added: "Once again, they're handing out lucrative permits to the likes of Shell for a project that won't start producing gas for years, that won't lower our bills, but will create massive emissions causing deadly flooding and wildfires, and mass migration from people fleeing the climate crisis."
Kate Norgrove, the executive director of advocacy and campaigns at WWF, branded the decision a "staggering backward step for the climate."
She argued: "The most cost-effective solution to the energy crisis is to end our addiction to harmful fossil fuels once and for all, through the rapid scaling up of renewables and a turbocharged effort to make our homes energy efficient
"The UK Government must rapidly rethink their direction of travel, which represents a clear breach of their legally binding net-zero commitments."
Solutions
Tessa Khan of the campaign group Uplift claimed meanwhile that approving Jackdaw was "extremely disappointing and misconceived."
She told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland program: "It is a disastrous and wrong-headed decision from the Government when people need real solutions."
Ms. Khan added: "Of course, we know that we can't actually have any new oil or gas infrastructure or fields if we are going to stay within a liveable climate."