Official sparks backlash after sudden reversal on major campaign promise: 'We are missing ... huge opportunities'

British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is planning to encourage more drilling in the North Sea despite a campaign promise not to grant new licenses for drilling.

What's happening?

According to The Guardian, Miliband is considering a proposal that would allow companies to extract more oil and gas from existing sites using a new "bespoke permitting" system. The plan would incentivize companies to revisit and drill in older, previously abandoned fields. 

Proponents claim this approach would "speed up the process of evaluation and development" while protecting jobs tied to the industry.

The oil industry has maintained it could recover more than 7 billion barrels of additional fuel from the North Sea under this system, but climate scientists say that would make it much harder for the U.K. to meet its target to reach net zero by 2050. 

Why is continued dirty fuel extraction concerning?

Environmental groups have said this approach could keep the country locked into dirty energy dependency when it should be rapidly scaling up renewables like offshore wind to meet its net-zero target.

"While we remain distracted by ever-diminishing amounts of oil and gas, we are missing the huge opportunities to create good, clean energy jobs in the U.K," Tessa Khan, executive director of the climate group Uplift, told The Guardian.

The North Sea has long been a cornerstone of Britain's energy economy, employing about 30,000 people in northeast Scotland.

However, the dirty fuel industry remains the leading driver of global pollution, responsible for the majority of carbon and methane emissions heating our atmosphere. According to the United Nations, it accounts for 68% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions. 

From drilling to refining and burning, every stage of oil and gas production contributes to environmental destruction, polluting air and water, harming wildlife, and threatening human health.

Despite this, major oil companies continue to lobby against clean energy policies, delaying the transition to renewables and prolonging dependence on fuels that destabilize our planet. 

What's being done about dirty fuel dependency?

The International Energy Agency has stated that no new oil and gas developments can be approved if the world is to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

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Continuing to extract from aging fields, critics say, would release more carbon and methane into the atmosphere while delaying investments in the renewable energy transition. 

The U.K. government insists it can balance both goals, but environmentalists warn that this loophole-permitting strategy could extend dirty fuel dependence for decades when the planet can least afford it. 

Having conversations about these issues and voting for pro-climate candidates are critical steps that can help protect people and the environment.

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