On 31 July, in light of Rishi Sunak, the prime minister’s announcement of plans to grant over 100 new oil and gas licences for the North Sea, Dr Aaron Thierry appeared on BBC News to explain what this means for the UK’s net zero targets. He explained why licencing new oil and gas will not reduce bills, secure supply or come online for years. Instead, he says, it will guarantee we miss our climate pledges and continue to leave us exposed to price spikes.
Dr Thierry said: “When you have UN Secretary General António Guterres saying that investing in new oil and gas is ‘moral and economic madness’ for the UK Prime Minister to then do that is completely undermining our position at these COP negotiations”.