UK infrastructure and energy systems are currently heavily dependent on fossil fuels. The UK’s ambition to be net zero by 2050 requires a significant reduction in demand for fossil fuels supported by the development of clean energy solutions to decarbonise the energy supply.
The International Energy Agency, UN Climate Change Conference, and UK Climate Change Committee have all said there can be no new oil and gas production beyond what has already been committed if we are to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and keep global temperature increases within the 1.5C limit. Expanding oil and gas licences and opening new oil fields are incompatible with achieving these targets and risk creating stranded assets that could harm local and regional communities as the demand for fossil fuels become obsolete.
Fossil fuel dependency also makes local communities vulnerable to highly fluctuating energy prices, which forces people into fuel poverty and ultimately undermines the socioeconomic and environmental conditions on which good health depends.
For years, the UK has lagged on a move to renewable sources of energy. In 2020, renewables made up 29% of the UK electricity supply, but accounted for just 5% of the total energy supply. The Climate Change Committee has reported that emissions from refineries and oil and gas production increased from 2021 to 2022 and has downgraded the government’s progress on renewables. The new Labour government has committed to change this by accelerating the transition away from volatile fossil fuels to clean, homegrown power by 2030 and a commitment not to issue new licences for North Sea oil and gas exploration. However, the government has also claimed it will not revoke existing licences, including the Rosebank oilfield.
The UK entrenches dependency on fossil fuels through subsidies, estimated to be a net total of £15.9 billion in 2022. Instead, subsidies could be used to promote activities that benefit the long-term health and well-being of local populations, such as incentives and infrastructure for renewable energy production and access. Doing so could help alleviate energy poverty in the longer term, reduce the high levels of air pollution that continue to harm the health of local populations, reduce pressure on the NHS and address inequalities.
The UK is one of the best places in the world for the generation of wind power. This presents a twin opportunity: Firstly, it means that the UK has an opportunity to transition from a fossil fuel dependence to a clean energy system. Secondly, the UK has a commitment to ‘levelling up’ and many of those areas are areas of former heavy industries and are in or close to areas of high wind-potential. With significant central government support and leadership, and by ensuring that the costs and benefits of this transition are fairly distributed, there is the potential for the UK to transition to a low carbon energy system while improving the well-being of communities in previously marginalised or ‘left-behind’ communities.