THE Tory government could face legal action over its decision to plough on with granting new oil and gas licences despite stark warnings over climate change. 

The North Sea Transition Authority confirmed today that it would invite firms to apply for more than 100 licences to prospect for more gas and oil under the North Sea, with almost 900 locations offered up for exploration. 

The decision flies in the face of recent warnings by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that there can be no more fossil fuel projects if there is to be any chance of keeping global temperature rises to under 1.5°C.

Friends of the Earth Scotland oil and gas campaigner Freya Aitchison said: “By encouraging greedy fossil fuel companies to keep looking for more fossil fuels, the UK government is denying the reality of the climate emergency.

“It is sticking two fingers up to climate scientists and energy experts who have made it clear that there should be no new oil and gas if we are to remain within agreed climate limits.”
 
Scottish Greens spokesman Mark Ruskell MSP warned that new oil and gas exploration was “tantamount to a death sentence for tens of thousands” of people.

He said: “We can’t drill our way out of this crisis. Even trying to is totally incompatible with our international obligations.”

Greenpeace said the decision to open the new licensing round could be illegal, adding that the environmental campaign group was “carefully examining opportunities to take action.”

Tory ministers defended the decision today, with Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg claiming that the new licences would boost economic growth and energy security. 

Climate Minister Graham Stuart insisted that oil and gas exploration was “good for the environment,” because “when we burn our own gas, it’s got lower emissions around its production than foreign gas.”

He also claimed that the new licences were “entirely compatible” with Britain’s legally binding commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

However, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay warned that those assertions had “no connection to reality.”

Friends of the Earth campaigner Jamie Peters said: “To claim that more oil and gas extraction is good for the environment would be almost comical if it weren’t so dangerous for our planet. You don’t have to be a climate scientist to know it’s blatantly untrue. 

“There’s no using the energy crisis as a justification either. Our reliance on expensive and volatile gas is one of the main reasons we’re in this mess.”