Institute responds to the King's Speech
Esin Serin and Bob Ward issue comments in response to the King’s Speech delivered on 7 November 2023. The speech outlines the UK Government’s priorities for the forthcoming parliamentary session.
Esin Serin, Policy Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, said:
“Ahead of COP28 the Government should be playing a leadership role on net zero, instead they have doubled down on their commitments to drill for more oil and gas.
“This shatters the UK’s ability to encourage stronger collective action in Dubai to protect the safety of the planet while making minimal difference if any to its own energy bills or security.
“The announcements today send completely the wrong message to governments and businesses around the world, who will be unsure if the UK is truly serious about delivering net zero by 2050.
“History shows the dangers of our reliance on oil and gas. Delivering net zero without adding undue burdens on households has to mean a faster, not slower, transition to clean domestic energy.”
Bob Ward, Policy and Communications Director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said:
“It is very disappointing that the King’s Speech has confirmed this Government’s continued weakening of climate change policies by announcing an acceleration of licensing of new oil and gas development in the North Sea.
“The Government is ignoring the clear advice of its expert advisers, the Climate Change Committee, who have explicitly warned that such new development is not consistent with avoiding dangerous climate change by reaching net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.
“Today’s announcement should be a source of intense embarrassment to the Prime Minister when he turns up at the United nations climate change summit next month. How will he explain to poor countries who are suffering the impacts of climate change that the UK is not going to honour its 2030 international target for emissions cuts and will also accelerate fossil fuel development in the North Sea?”
ENDS