The Government has rejected a recommendation by MPs on the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) to end oil and gas exploration in the Arctic,
The Government has rejected a recommendation by MPs on the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) to end oil and gas exploration in the Arctic,
The EAC, whose members include Dr Thérèse Coffey MP, a Government Minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is now calling on the Government to set out what action it is taking to encourage an end to oil and gas exploration in the Arctic.
Commenting on the Government Response to the Committee’s Twelfth Report The Changing Arctic, Chair of the EAC, Mary Creagh MP, said:
“The thawing of Arctic ice is leading to ocean acidification, pollution and is derailing global climate goals. The UN’s report that Arctic winter temperatures will rise 3-5°C by 2050, even if the Paris climate commitments are met, is a shocking wakeup call for Government.
“Despite this, Ministers continue to tacitly encourage highly damaging oil and gas exploration in the Arctic. UK support for Arctic research post-2020 is in doubt and there is no clarity on what measures the Government is taking to tackle plastic pollution.
“Action cannot wait. We need reassurances from the Minister that we will protect the fragile Arctic environment.”
In November 2018, the Committee’s wide-ranging report, The Changing Arctic, warned that the Arctic is undergoing profound environmental change as physical processes react to warming surface and ocean temperatures:
"Sea ice extent and thickness have been reducing for decades, and melting has accelerated since the early 2000s. Sea ice is now at its lowest level since records began and the Arctic ocean is projected to be ice free in the summer as soon as the 2050s unless emissions are reduced. The loss of 270 billion tonnes of land ice from Greenland each year is contributing to sea level rise and disrupting ocean circulation patterns."
The EAC report concluded that the UK’s support for exploitation of oil and gas reserves in the Arctic is incompatible with its international commitments, including the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Government : declining output from existing fields require new energy oil and gas resources to be identified and bought into production
However, the Government has rejected the EAC's view on oil and gas exploration in the Arctic in its response to the EAC report, saying:
"It is wholly inaccurate for the committee to assert that the Government encourages oil and gas exploration in the Arctic. This statement is untrue and baseless. We do not do so. Although providing support for exports, the Government does not seek to direct where UK businesses invest: such decisions are matters for companies’ commercial judgement." .....
"The UK supports measures to reduce demand for oil and gas as part of the global transition to a low carbon economy. However, as set out in Beyond the Ice, the world will continue to rely on energy from oil and gas for some time yet and it is important that supplies of these fuels continue to be secure and affordable. As output from existing oil and gas fields is declining significantly faster than projected demand, this will require that oil and gas resources continue to be identified and bought into production."
It recommended that the Government should reconsider its encouragement to UK businesses to explore oil and gas opportunities in the region.
Government fails to commit to supporting Arctic research post-2020 and explain how it will tackle Artcic plastic pollution
However, the EAC said that the Government’s response to the report fails to commit to disincentivise companies from undertaking oil and gas exploration in the Arctic, despite such efforts by others including the Canadian Government.
Mary Creagh MP, has written to Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan to press this issue and others raised in the Government’s response, including:
- The Government’s rejection of the Committee’s conclusion that it encourages oil and gas exploration in the Arctic. The letter quotes the UK Arctic Strategy, indicating a tacit acceptance by Government of such activity.
- The Government’s support for Arctic research and its failure to provide any reassurance that will continue to support Arctic research post-2020 once the Horizon process has come to an end. The letter requests assurances about longer term support.
- The Government’s failure to explain how it is looking to address the issue of plastic pollution in the Arctic specifically. The letter calls for a timeline for the publication of the consultation on the plastic bottle Deposit Return Scheme as soon as soon as possible.
- The Government’s action to promote the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Arctic in the short term.
Click here to read the Government Response in full
Click here to download the EAC report The Changing Arctic
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