Hi John,
I’ve got some good news. We’re making real progress on upgrading the UK’s energy system so it’s fairer, cheaper and cleaner.
Oil & gas legal win
Last week the UK government announced that they are dropping their legal defence of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea. [1] It’s amazing news, here’s how it happened.
- The previous Conservative government approved drilling permits for the highly polluting oil and gas fields, without accounting for the enormous emissions produced from burning the extracted fuel.
- New oil and gas would spell disaster for the UK’s legally binding climate targets, so Greenpeace along with Uplift decided to take the government to court.
- In June, the Supreme Court ruled it illegal to ignore emissions from burning oil and gas when approving new oil and gas projects. [2]
- Now, Labour is rightfully respecting this ruling and won’t defend Rosebank and Jackdaw in court.
What next? As we future-proof our energy system, affected workers in the fossil fuel industry and their communities must be supported with money for retraining or compensation. Labour must properly invest in green jobs which will provide prosperity for generations to come.
Renewables success
In other good news, the yearly renewable energy auction yesterday was record breaking - securing 131 new clean projects that could produce enough electricity to power 11m homes. [3]
It is worlds apart from the catastrophe for offshore wind that we saw unfold during last year’s renewable auction round under the Conservatives. [4]
That being said, there was still only about half the offshore wind capacity that we need each year to meet the government’s target of quadrupling offshore wind by 2030. So we’ve got a lot more work to do.
The more energy we get from renewables, the more independent we can become from volatile, expensive, polluting fossil fuels that have caused energy bill-payers so much pain. [5]
See a timeline of events and learn more about these wins for the climate and us all on our website here.
Our impact
Just a year ago, we were in a very different place - with the previous government in a senseless pursuit of more oil and gas, whilst neglecting real solutions like renewables.
The progress we've made since then didn't just happen on its own. At every step of the way supporters like you have been signing petitions, emailing your MPs, canvassing and voting. Thank you so much!
We’ve come far, but the fight isn’t over. It’s going to take all of us to keep pushing Labour to invest in the solutions we need to bring bills down, clean up our air and water, restore nature and make a fairer society for everyone.
If you want to make sure the new government champions climate action, sign up to Project Climate Vote and help hold Labour to account.
