Press release: 24 March 2021

Media reaction: ClientEarth responds to North Sea deal

ClientEarth lawyer Sam Hunter Jones said:

“The UK Government’s new climate compatibility check is a welcome acknowledgment that oil and gas extraction must be consistent with the UK’s climate commitments.

“But this check needs to cover all extraction including from existing oil and gas fields, not just extraction from potential new fields as the Government has proposed.

“For the UK to live up to its climate ambition, the Government should be setting out a clear timeline for phasing out fossil fuel extraction. The UK also needs to invest in a just transition to renewable energy and low-carbon industry that prioritises workers and affected communities rather than companies intent on clinging to business as usual.

“Just as the UK has committed to phasing out support for polluting projects overseas, it needs to do the same at home.”

ENDS

About ClientEarth

ClientEarth is a charity that uses the power of the law to protect people and the planet. We are international lawyers finding practical solutions for the world’s biggest environmental challenges. We are fighting climate change, protecting oceans and wildlife, making forest governance stronger, greening energy, making business more responsible and pushing for government transparency. We believe the law is a tool for positive change. From our offices in London, Brussels, Warsaw, Berlin and Beijing, we work on laws throughout their lifetime, from the earliest stages to implementation. And when those laws are broken, we go to court to enforce them.