Using COP26 to end UK fossil fuel extraction

Friends of the Earth Scotland

Using COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, to end UK fossil fuel extraction

Amount granted € 9 896
Project period 2020–2020
United Kingdom

A recent UN report said we need “transformative, far-reaching change” to stay within 1.5°C of global warming. To do this, the Scottish Government and UK Parliament’s declarations of a climate emergency must translate into rapid action across all sectors. After Norway, the UK has the largest oil and gas reserves in Europe, but Scotland also has great potential for renewable energy. Yet the UK and Scottish Governments are committed to ‘Maximising Economic Recovery’ of oil and gas and continue to support the industry with huge subsidies - incentivising fossil fuel companies to extract every last drop of oil. If the UK is to deliver its fair share of the Paris Agreement climate targets, it must leave more than 80% of its oil and gas reserves in the ground. We want to use COP26 to apply maximum pressure to the UK and Scottish Governments to end new exploration in the North Sea and to set a timescale for transition away from fossil fuels in a way that protects workers and impacted communities. Following the failure of the UN Climate Talks in Madrid to agree the rules on the highly controversial subject of carbon markets, and the worsening impacts of climate change being felt globally, the stakes are now much higher for the success of the Glasgow talks. This will significantly increase both the media and public interest in the talks. In addition to the need to build consensus for ending North Sea Oil & Gas in the run-up to COP26, there is a lack of public awareness about the talks themselves - in terms of what they are and what they could deliver. Through a coordinated series of online and offline communications activities, this project aims to address both these issues in the run-up to,during and after the talks in November.

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