Is Rishi Sunak the ‘black sheep’ of the Western world in the fight against climate change?

Many of these measures had been approved by his predecessor, also conservative Boris Johnson, but the proximity of elections and Winning dissatisfied votes with ‘green agenda’ Of course, this seems to have motivated the change.

Last week, the North Sea Transit Authority (NSTA) issued the following: Green light for development and production of Rosebank oil fieldLocated approximately 128 kilometers northwest of the Shetland Islands, it is considered the largest unexplored island in the United Kingdom.

Production plans for this field, owned by Norwegian company Equinor and British Ithaca Energy, have sparked controversy among environmental activists, including Greta Thunberg, who oppose the exploitation of this field.

The controversial Rosebank oil field, located in north-west Shetland, contains up to 350 million barrels of crude oil. Can produce 69,000 barrels of oil per dayThis amounts to around 8% of planned daily production for the UK between 2026 and 2030, and could also produce 1.25 million cubic meters of gas per day, according to Equinor, the Norwegian firm behind the project.

The British Government welcomed the decision taken by the regulator and said the project had been subject to extensive review, including an assessment of its environmental impacts and a public consultation process before implementation.

“We need oil and gas”

“We are investing in our renewable energy, but as the independent Climate Change Committee has acknowledged, On the path to net zero we will need oil and gas as part of the mix “It makes sense to use our own supplies from North Sea fields such as Rosebank,” UK Energy Security Minister Claire Coutinho said.

Responding to the announcement, Greenpeace UK climate spokesman Philip Evans said: “The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shows once again that he puts oil company profits before ordinary citizens”.

“We know that relying on fossil fuels is terrible for our energy security, cost of living and climate. “Our high bills and recent extreme weather conditions have shown us this,” he said.

According to him, “This decision is nothing but a decision. Unlimited power for fossil fuel companies destroying the climate, punishing taxpayers and making obscene profits.”

Water down Boris Johnson’s climate measures

However, the authorization of this site is not an isolated thing, it is part of a system. A broader strategy to move away from green propositions. As well as extending the deadline to phase out internal combustion cars and gas boilers, the British Government has also announced: will not impose new taxes on air travel or meat consumptionIt won’t encourage carpooling or create a minimum household recycling rate.

Rishi Sunak is facing harsh criticism from the political and business world for his policies and retreat from tackling climate change. abandons most measures Achieving the “zero emissions” target backed by Boris Johnson at the time.

Sunak explained last week: The sales ban of diesel and gasoline vehicles is invalid In addition to this regulation, which was announced for 2030 and postponed to 2035, replacing gas heaters with heat pumps is another measure aimed at reducing gas emissions harmful to the climate.

The news coincided with the Climate Goals Summit in New York, which Sunak decided not to attend.

This noisy retreat from zero emissions policies has been criticized by wide and diverse sections of British society and even The government itself is deeply divided on the issue.. The measures were rejected by the Labor opposition and large sections of the Conservative Party, who saw the withdrawal at COP27 in Glasgow as an abdication of the country’s global leadership on climate change.

In response, Sunak said: “We remain committed to our goals, but we will do it better and in a more proportionate way.”“and implied that politicians (euphemistically referring to his predecessor Johnson) were “not being honest about the costs and compensations” the ecological transition would require.”

“This realism does not mean we have lost ambition or abandoned our commitments,” Sunak said. he emphasized. “Britain leads the world against climate change“We will remain committed to carbon neutrality in 2050 and respect international agreements.”

In search of a handful of votes

Sunak’s controversial decision has been interpreted as an attempt to favor voters unhappy with the cost of living crisis, which many conservative media blame on a “green agenda”, but other observers remind that the effects of Brexit are already affecting the British economy.

former prime minister‘Boris Johnson He was one of the first to criticize Sunak: “Now is not the time to give up or reduce our goals for our country.” “Businesses need certainty about the UK’s commitments to reach net zero,” Johnson said.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Postponing the ban on combustion car sales until 2035 is in line with countries such as SpainFrance and several North American states.

Equal The auto industry reacted negatively to the announcementAs some major brands remind us, huge investments have already been made to face the end of gasoline cars and promote electric cars.

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Contact address of the environmental department:krisclimatica@prensaiberica.es