Quakers lament government approval of Jackdaw gasfield
Quakers in Britain said they lament the government's decision to approve drilling at the Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea.
They urged ministers to reject the proposed Rosebank oilfield, which is larger than Jackdaw and would cause further environmental damage.
[QUOTE-START]
Licensing a new gasfield in a climate emergency is short-term thinking at its worst
- Oliver Robertson
[QUOTE-END]
“Licensing a new gasfield in a climate emergency is short-term thinking at its worst," Oliver Robertson, director of programmes at Quakers in Britain, said.
“We've seen what existing emissions are doing to our climate. In Britain we've had record summer heatwaves, and there have been floods, fires, droughts and storms around the world.
“The last thing we should be doing is adding to this problem with new fossil fuel extraction. That will further damage the living world we care for and rely on.
Labour committed in 2024 to not allow any new oil and gas drilling licences in the North Sea. The owners of Jackdaw and Rosebank, whose future is still undecided, were seeking environmental approval for existing licences.
“Rosebank, which would create seven times as many emissions, must be rejected for all our futures," Robertson said.
Quakers in Britain warned that burning Jackdaw's gas would add to the emissions driving extreme weather, with consequences for vulnerable communities worldwide.
Robertson said: “This decision betrays the people most affected by climate breakdown, who are often those who have done least to create it.
“They need us to show leadership, find alternatives, and contribute to the cost of the loss and damage they suffer as a result of our failure to move away from fossil fuel dependency."
Jackdaw is also unlikely to bring down household energy bills, as gas prices are set by international markets.
Research has shown it would supply only two per cent of UK gas demand on average over its lifetime. It would create just 27 new full-time-equivalent jobs.
Quakers in Britain called for investment in offshore wind and other clean industries, alongside support to help oil and gas workers move into new jobs.
The UK has missed an opportunity to show climate leadership and a clear vision of cleaner and more just energy system, they said, pointing to Denmark, France, Ireland and Portugal as countries that had rejected new fields.