Hooked on Hydrocarbons: The UK’s Risky Addiction to North Sea Oil and Gas

The report finds that new oil and gas developments in the North Sea could produce up to 984 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent, potentially causing the UK to exceed its 2023-2037 carbon budget by a factor of two. It argues that the development of the 21 largest undeveloped fields is incompatible with limiting warming to 1.5°C and that the government's Climate Compatibility Checkpoint system fails to account for all climate risks. Additionally, the report states that these developments would not lower energy prices for UK consumers.

• New oil and gas development in the North Sea could generate up to 984 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent, which may result in the United Kingdom exceeding its carbon budget for 2023-2037 by a factor of two. The 20 largest fields expected to reach financial investment decisions or receive development consent within three years could produce nearly 920 MtCo2.
• The development of any or all of the 21 largest undeveloped North Sea fields is incompatible with global and UK climate goals, including the target of limiting warming to 1.5°C. Current production rates in the region already exceed the UK's fair share pathway, and new fields could result in more than three times the extraction of current reserves in development, with production extending into the 2050s.
• The UK government's Climate Compatibility Checkpoint system is described as being built to fail and inadequate for accounting for the climate risks of North Sea oil and gas development. Furthermore, these fields would not reduce energy prices for UK consumers in the long term or during the immediate European energy crisis.

APA

Fralikhina, S. Z. H. (2022). Hooked on Hydrocarbons: The UK’s Risky Addiction to North Sea Oil and Gas. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/hooked-hydrocarbons-uks-risky-addiction-north-sea-oil-and-gas

Chicago

Fralikhina, Scott Zimmerman, Hanna. Hooked on Hydrocarbons: The UK’s Risky Addiction to North Sea Oil and Gas. Global Energy Monitor, 2022. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/hooked-hydrocarbons-uks-risky-addiction-north-sea-oil-and-gas.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fralikhina |first1=Scott Zimmerman, Hanna |title=Hooked on Hydrocarbons: The UK’s Risky Addiction to North Sea Oil and Gas |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=29 October 2022 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/hooked-hydrocarbons-uks-risky-addiction-north-sea-oil-and-gas |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fralikhina2022hooked, author = {Fralikhina, Scott Zimmerman, Hanna}, title = {{Hooked on Hydrocarbons: The UK’s Risky Addiction to North Sea Oil and Gas}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/hooked-hydrocarbons-uks-risky-addiction-north-sea-oil-and-gas}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }