Climate campaigners say the COP26 climate summit will only be a success if UK leaders take the chance to block new oilfield development in the North Sea.
Throughout the global climate summit, now under way in Glasgow, a group called ‘Stop Cambo’ will protest about the continued use of fossil fuels.
For the past few months the group has been campaigning for the UK Government to abandon proposals to develop a new oilfield off the coast of Shetland called Cambo.
They claim it will be impossible to meet the targets set out in the Paris Agreement – to keep global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees – if the plans are approved at Westminster.
Industry figures, including Sir Ian Wood, say the UK cannot afford to simply turn off the taps for oil and gas.
The campaign group says it is now time for the UK Government to step up and take difficult decisions.
Anything short of that would be a terrible disaster.
– Lawyer Tessa Khan
Environmental lawyer Tessa Khan, from the Stop Cambo campaign, told us she ultimately wants world leaders at COP26 to end all oil and gas production.
“The government is not willing to make the hard decisions needed,” she said.
“Because of decades of delay and inaction we are at the point where we need to take drastic action in a short period of time.
“A decision on Cambo is still to be made by Boris Johnson, so the only way COP26 is going to be a real success is if they say ‘no’ and reject it.
“It is within their power to do that.
“Anything short of that would be a terrible disaster.”
What is the plan at Cambo oilfield?
Energy giants Shell and Siccar Point Energy want to extract up to 170 million barrels of oil, the equivalent of running 18 coal-fired power stations for a year, out of the Cambo oilfield in the North Sea.
The International Energy Agency says there can be no new investments in oil, gas or coal if a climate catastrophe is to be avoided.
But others, such as UK Govenrment Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, say the project should be allowed to go ahead because it has already been factored into climate change targets.
The oilfield was initially licensed back in 2001 and the Oil and Gas Authority is currently considering whether or not to approve it.
Last month the UK Government admitted it had the power to “give directions” to the Oil and Gas Authority over Cambo.
During COP26 Stop Cambo campaigners will be holding a number of protests and taking part in both the climate strike and the global day of action for climate justice.
Their campaign has also been covered by global media in recent weeks and been shared to actress Emma Watson’s 61 million followers on Instagram after she handed over her social media account to feminist voices at the summit.
Fossil fuels the drivers of the climate crisis
Ms Khan said: “We know fossil fuels are the principal drivers of the climate crisis.
“The International Energy Agency and the UN have made it clear that to stay within the 1.5 degree target we can’t have any new oil, gas or coal developments, so we are really keen to make sure that elephant in the room is brought to everyone’s attention.”
On the opening day of the COP26 conferenc,e First Minister Nicola Sturgeon admitted oil and gas was going to be the “most difficult” issue for Scotland to confront because of the tens of thousands of jobs that rely on the industry.
Ms Khan says the UK has to show leadership as the hosts of COP26 by committing to not only stop burning fossil fuels, but to stop extracting them from the earth as well.
She said: “A new international alliance is being formally launched at COP, spearheaded by Denmark and Costa Rica, which have both announced the end to oil and gas licensing and set an end date for production.
“But neither Denmark or Costa Rica are significant oil and gas producers – Denmark only produces a tenth of what the UK does.
“It could be a huge coup if the UK Government joined this as a he oil and gas producing government.”
‘We are working hard’
A spokesman for the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy said: “Development proposals for oil fields under existing licences, such as Cambo, are a matter for our regulators – the Oil and Gas Authority and the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning – following their standard regulatory processes.
“While we are working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels to insulate ourselves from global price hikes, there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas over the coming decades as the UK transitions to low carbon, more secure solutions.”
COP26 will run in Glasgow until November 12.