Jackdaw approval is climate vandalism and a devastating betrayal of our children
The UK Government’s approval of the Jackdaw gas field is a betrayal of our children’s future and outright climate vandalism, the Scottish Greens have said.
Labour has approved Jackdaw today even though it will do nothing to lower household bills and will only help greedy shareholders rake in obscene profits.
Jackdaw will have no meaningful impact on the UK’s energy security. Over its roughly 10-year lifetime it will provide only 2% of UK gas demand.
Labour approved the field despite the repeated heatwaves and devastating wildfires which hit the UK this summer, the latest round of extreme weather driven by the climate emergency.
Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said:
“Labour’s decision to approve Jackdaw is climate vandalism. It is a devastating betrayal of our children’s future and it won’t even lower energy bills in the here and now.
“Andy Burnham’s Government had the opportunity to reject the greed of oil and gas companies. They could have focused instead on lowering bills and protecting our planet by investing in clean, green renewable energy. Instead, this Labour Prime Minister has caved in to the fossil fuel lobby and continued to devastate our climate.
“The UK has just endured a summer of repeated heatwaves and devastating wildfires. This winter we’ll likely see extreme levels of flooding. The climate emergency is here already and it's costing lives.
“Jackdaw will make the UK even more dependent on gas despite its wildly fluctuating prices in the global market. That will do absolutely nothing to lower household energy bills and it is dishonest to pretend that it will.
“Labour’s climate credentials are now in shreds. Families across the country are struggling to afford the rising costs of heating their homes. The money being thrown at oil and gas companies in the form of tax breaks should instead be used to insulate homes and help people swap out their gas boilers for heat pumps."
Ross added:
“The Scottish Greens are now the only party standing up for our planet and against the greed of oil and gas companies.
“Our children and all future generations will not forget Labour’s climate vandalism.
“Scotland has a huge wealth of clean, green renewable energy sources, but we are constantly held back by Westminster. The UK Government has once again bent to the whim of the fossil fuel lobbyists who only care about making obscene profits for their shareholders, regardless of the ruin they are leaving for everyone else.”