4 Saturday December 4 2021 | the times
News
Scotland’s first minister is facing a back-
lash over her stance on the Cambo oil-
field as business leaders warned that
jobs are being put at risk and criticism
of her government intensified.
Nicola Sturgeon changed her posi-
tion last month and said she did not
want to see the project proceed.
On Thursday evening it emerged
that Shell, the giant oil company, was
no longer going ahead with its minority
investment in Cambo although Siccar
Point, which owns the other 70 per cent
of the field, does still intend to press on.
There are concerns that pressure by
environmentalists to block Cambo,
which lies about 80 miles northwest of
the Shetland Isles, may reduce the like-
lihood of any new North Sea fields
being approved. That would put tens of
thousands of jobs at risk while also in-
creasing the UK’s reliance on import-
ing oil and gas.
Sir Ian Wood, one of the British oil
and gas industry’s most respected
leaders, urged politicians “to reflect
carefully on their public statements”
and the impact they can have.
He said: “We must not create an ad-
verse investment environment at this
crucial moment in our energy transi-
tion journey. The future prosperity of
our region and the country’s ability to
meet net zero, depends on it.
“It has been made patently clear for
some time we cannot put ourselves in
the position of reducing domestic pro-
duction only to increase carbon-heavy
imports from overseas. This would be
entirely counterproductive, both envi-
ronmentally and economically.
“The skills, experience and infra-
structure of a world-class oil and gas in-
dustry will play a crucial role in acceler-
ating energy transition and meeting
net zero.”
That view was echoed by Russell
Borthwick at Aberdeen & Grampian
Chamber of Commerce, who warnedthat an early end to North Sea produc-
tion could lead to some areas facing
similar conditions to those experienced
by mining communities in the 1980s.
There was further political fallout as
Holyrood minister Patrick Harvie,Mask slips An adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, starring Hannah Baxter-Eve, is being staged in churches around England until December 30
Decorations dropped
Fears about Covid-19 infections
have led to some care homes not
putting up Christmas decorations
and cancelling parties, Nadra
Ahmed, who chairs the National
Care Association, told Times
Radio. “There is a whole tranche
of anxiety for care providers as to
how we keep the people that we
care for safe, whilst enabling them
to have a good time,” she said.‘Keep using Covid app’
Health officials urged people to
continue using the NHS Covid
app after figures showed a sharp
drop in its use. In this year’s July
peak there were 311,642 reported
cases and 690,696 alerts a week,
but by November there were
271,726 cases and only 212,
alerts. UK Health Security says it
is a “vital tool” to help protect
against the spread of the virus.Walking with William
The Duke of Cambridge is
following in the steps of Dolly
Parton and Naomi Campbell by
recording his thoughts while on a
favourite walk for an audio series
designed to encourage listeners’
wellbeing that will be available
free on Apple Music 1. The royal
ramble from Sandringham to
Anmer Hall, his family’s Norfolk
home, is released on Monday.Tube bans e-scooters
Electric scooters will be banned
from being transported on the
London Underground after one
caught fire on the District Line
last month, prompting a review. It
is believed to have been sparked
by the vehicle’s lithium battery
overheating, filling the carriage
with smoke. Footage showed the
scooter ablaze and being thrown
on to the platform.Teenage killer named
A 16-year-old boy who murdered
a father of four can now be
named. Joshuah Sparks stabbed
James Gibbons, 34, to death when
he defended a homeless man
being abused outside his home in
Laindon, Essex. Gibbons was
killed on the day of his twin
daughters’ second birthday.
Sparks was convicted of murder
last month and sentenced to at
least 13 years in custody. Mr
Justice Bourne lifted reporting
restrictions after an application at
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Solutions See page 87
Cryptic clues every day onlineZACHARY CULPIN/BNPSSturgeon ‘putting jobs and energy
supply at risk’ by rejecting oilfield
from the Scottish Greens, was accused
of cheering on potential job losses.
Harvie said on BBC Radio Scotland
yesterday that it was “great the Cambo
project looks like it’s on the skids”.
Liam Kerr, the Scottish Conserva-
tives’ shadow minister for net zero, de-
scribed Harvie’s stance as “shameful”
and said: “The Cambo project not going
ahead would risk Scottish jobs, risk our
energy supply, and risk our ability to
meet net zero targets.”
Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s energy
spokesman at Westminster, said on
Twitter: “You can support a just transi-
tion without denigrating an industry
that supports the jobs of thousands of
my constituents. Tone things down and
work together to hit net zero.”
A Scottish government spokesman
said “unlimited extraction of fossil
fuels is not consistent with our climate
obligations”.
Philip Evans, a campaigner at Green-
peace UK, said Shell’s departure from
the project should prompt the govern-
ment to think again. “With yet another
key player turning its back on the
scheme, the government is cutting an
increasingly lonely figure with its con-
tinued support for the oilfield.”
Sophie Marjanac of ClientEarth,
which seeks to protect the environment
through legal action, said the UK gov-
ernment’s refusal to rule out new fossil
fuel projects was wholly inconsistent
with its pledges on climate change.
“New oil and gas projects are reckless
for the climate and the economy,” Mar-
janac said. “If the government doesn’t
start phasing out UK oil and gas and
focus on a just transition for workers
like other major economies promised
to do at Cop26 it’s only setting up the
industry for chaotic collapse.”Greig Cameron Analysis
C
ambo is tiny
compared
with many
foreign oil
and gas
projects and much
smaller than the UK’s
Brent and Forties
fields but Shell’s
decision to pull out
may help to wean the
world off fossil fuels.
Shell is helping to
lead a shift in strategy
among the big oil
companies, which are
gradually setting out
plans for complying
with a global shift to
net zero emissions as
soon as 2050. Its
decision was
influenced by the
Scottish government’s
opposition and the
risks involved in what
would have been a
long battle with
environmental
campaigners.
Smaller oil
companies, which
might replace Shell in
Cambo, face lessscrutiny, and projects
overseas face less
political opposition,
although that is
slowly changing.
Ten countries
launched the Beyond
Oil and Gas Alliance
at the Cop26 climate
change conference
last month. They
made various levels of
commitment, with
core members,
including Denmark,
Sweden, Costa Rica
and France pledging
to offer no new
licences for oil and
gas exploration and
production and to set
an end date for
extraction.
Boris Johnson
declined to join the
alliance but said that
he would consider
what it was proposing.
Viewed in isolation,
cancellation of the
Cambo project would
seem to achieve little
beyond making the
UK more dependenton imports. Oil and
gas are still central to
our lifestyles and
economy, providing
73 per cent of the UK’s
total energy last year.
Half our gas is
already imported and
in 2019 we produced
53 million tonnes of
oil and consumed
59 million. Without
new projects such as
Cambo, UK oil and
gas production is
predicted to decline
by 75 per cent by- But the UK will
have to cut fossil fuel
consumption rapidly
if it is to achieve its
world-leading
commitments to
reduce emissions by
68 per cent on 1990
levels by 2030 and
78 per cent by 2035.
The UK asked other
countries at Cop26 to
also set stronger
targets. Cancellation
of Cambo would
make that request
more credible.