In response to today’s announcement by the UK government that it will be issuing new licences for North Sea oil and gas as part of its plan to boost domestic energy supplies, Dr Ashok Sinha, CEO at climate solutions charity Ashden, said:
“Today’s announcement by the government to expand fossil fuel production is entirely wrong-headed and dangerous. As we see what the UN General Secretary has described as human-induced “global boiling” occurring across the world, in the form of killer heat, flash floods and wildfires, the government is fuelling the fire by investing in more carbon emissions, not less.
“Plus, at a time when the US and EU are ramping up their investment in the green economy, creating new jobs and attracting inward investment, UK policy is going backwards, threatening the UK’s future economic competitiveness, and creating jobs that will only have to be made redundant later on.
“Scare tactics about Putin’s Russia won’t wash. The best pathway to energy independence is to slash demand in the first place, by finally embarking on an industrial scale energy efficiency programme, and by accelerating the exploitation of the UK’s abundant sources of renewable energy. This will not only free us from fossil fuel dependence but also keep our homes warm in winter and cool in summer, and slash fuel bills for everyone.”
In the UK, Ashden works with local authorities and the retrofit and construction sector to share knowledge and examples of how to rapidly increase green jobs and skills and share low carbon innovation.
Ashden is part of the Warm this Winter coalition of NGOs which demands that the government provides more emergency money for people this winter, funding to help people cut their bills with better insulation, and rapidly moves the country away from expensive gas and onto cheaper, sustainable renewable energy.
