Protesters have demanded Tory ministers reverse a decision to allow another gas field to be developed in the North Sea.
Climate change campaigners gathered outside the UK Government hub in Edinburgh today to demand the country honours commitments made last year at COP26.
UK energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed yesterday that Shell had been given the go-ahead for the Jackdaw field in waters to the east of Aberdeen.
The energy firm claimed the field is expected to produce an amount of energy equivalent to heating over 1.4 million UK homes.
Kwarteng confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the “Jackdaw gas field – originally licensed in 1970 – has today received final regulatory approval”.
He tweeted: “We’re turbocharging renewables and nuclear, but we are also realistic about our energy needs now.
“Let’s source more of the gas we need from British waters to protect energy security.”
But the decision sparked anger from environmental campaigners.
Mary Church, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "The decision to approve the Jackdaw gas field exposes Boris Johnson's climate leadership rhetoric at COP26 last year as pure greenwash.
"The UK Government is pouring fuel on the fire of the social and climate crises by deepening our reliance on fossil fuels.
"Approving the Jackdaw field will do nothing to help people who face higher bills in the UK or to tackle the climate crisis. The only people who benefit are executives and shareholders at Shell who are hellbent on destroying the planet for their own profit.
"The UK Government must reverse this approval, stop issuing any new fossil fuel licences and start planning for a managed phase-out of production, with a just transition for workers and communities.
"It must also do much more to alleviate the suffering of households as the energy price crisis bites, and urgently ramp up retrofits to keep homes warm while helping end reliance on expensive gas."
Kate Norgrove, the executive director of advocacy and campaigns at WWF, branded the decision a “staggering backward step for the climate”.
She argued: "The most cost-effective solution to the energy crisis is to end our addiction to harmful fossil fuels once and for all, through the rapid scaling up of renewables and a turbo-charged effort to make our homes energy efficient
“The UK Government must rapidly rethink their direction of travel, which represents a clear breach of their legally binding net zero commitments."
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