Responding to the Prime Minister’s announcement today on the expansion of oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, Gwen Hines, Save the Children CEO, said:

“At a time when the climate crisis is intensifying, it is concerning to see the UK expand oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. It undermines the urgent need to combat the climate crisis already affecting millions of children both here in the UK and around the world.

“The International Energy Agency have already cautioned that any new oil and gas exploration would be incompatible with reaching net zero by 2050. But today we see that warning fall on deaf ears. The UK government is already falling short on climate targets on nearly every front and today’s announcement is another stark example of that failure.

“The UK should be focused on investing in renewable energy not doubling-down on fossil fuels.”

ENDS