BYM joins call for no new oil and gas plans
'We believe that the government should not be considering new oil and gas works at a time when the world is facing a climate emergency.'
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) joined calls for Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to rule out new UK oil and gas developments as the UK moves away from Russian energy.
The letter, signed by more than 200 UK Christian leaders, also presses for energy efficiency measures to reduce heating bills, and a windfall tax on fossil fuel companies to tackle the cost of living crisis.
The move came ahead of the Spring Statement on 23 March where Rishi Sunak was widely criticised for not giving people the support needed to cope with rapidly increasing energy costs. Other critics, such as the Peace Pledge Union, condemned the chancellor for appearing to blame the escalating costs on the war in Ukraine.
Church leaders, including fifty bishops and Rowan Williams, former archbishop of Canterbury, welcomed the UK government’s decision to ban Russian oil and gas imports but called for a ‘rapid shift from fossil fuels to clean energy’ in the Spring Statement and the energy security strategy due to be published this month.
The letter says that the UK has a duty to demonstrate global leadership on the climate crisis, as hosts of the recent COP26 climate summit and holding the COP presidency. ‘The International Energy Agency has stated that there can be no new fossil fuel developments if we are to limit global heating to 1.5°C. New oil and gas production will not deliver lower energy bills for families facing fuel poverty and will have no impact on energy supply for years.’
At the Conservative Party spring conference in Blackpool this month, Boris Johnson told delegates his government would ‘make better use of our own naturally occurring hydrocarbons’.
Paul Parker said: ‘We believe that the government should not be considering new oil and gas works at a time when the world is facing a climate emergency. Fossil fuel companies should not be taking huge profits while people struggle to afford to heat their homes.’
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