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By Susanna Twidale
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain's support for oil and gas exploration
in the Arctic is incompatible with its international climate
change commitments, a report from a multi-stakeholder group of
lawmakers said Thursday.
The international Paris agreements aim to end the fossil
fuel era in the second half of this century in order to curb
rising temperatures which, if nothing is done, should lead to
the potentially deadly heat and rising sea level.
Britain should stop encouraging British companies to explore oil
and gas opportunities in the Arctic and call on other nations to
adopt a similar approach, the environmental audit report
Said the committee.
"The government should start by recognizing the incompatibility
its support for oil and gas development with its climate
commitment to change, "Mary Creagh, Chair of Environmental Audit
Committee said in a statement released with the group's report.
Report says multi-year Arctic sea ice is at record low
since records began and that the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in the
summer from 2050.
Report calls on government to provide more funding
for Arctic research and set goals to protect the Arctic
biodiversity and the setting of a timetable to reduce
the plastic pollution of the country.
He also said that the government should put pressure
Maritime organization to ban pollutant heavy fuel oil as soon as
possible and to designate the Arctic as a special sensitive area.
Many oil and gas companies such as Equinor and ENI operate in the
Arctic, while US President Donald Trump lobbied for
oil and gas licenses will be available in the region.
The British Foreign Office and Commonwealth Office (FCO), which represents
Britain at the Arctic Council, said in April that despite the measures
to decarbonize the world is likely to rely on oil and gas for
decades to come.
"To meet this demand, we will have to explore new potentials
resources, with the Arctic, with its important hydrocarbons
reserves, potentially playing a major role, "says the FCO report.
(Report by Susanna Twidale, edited by Louise Heavens)
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