The International Energy Agency has concluded that to avoid exceeding the 1.5 C target, there much be no new fossil fuel development from now on. Yet, the UK Government is considering allowing drilling in the Cambo oilfield, 75 miles west of Shetland.
An exploration licence for the Cambo field was granted in 2001 and the Oil and Gas Authority is currently considering whether to approve extraction of the estimated 800 million barrels of oil there.
The government argues that there is a continued need for oil and gas during the transition to green energy, and to manufacture other products.
Climate groups such as Greenpeace say that rather than creating more jobs in the oil industry, Scotland needs to start a just transition now towards long-lasting, green jobs, that will not be vulnerable to a future crash in oil prices.
Watch Greenpeace’s video on what happens to oil workers when oil prices crash.
Sign Greenpeace’s petition to the UK government to commit to no new oil or gas in the North Sea, and to support oil and gas workers and communities in the transition towards renewable energy here and a similar petition to Nicola Sturgeon here