WWF Respond to GMB’s Demands for Investment From The Government In North Sea Decommissioning

A report published today by GMB, indicated that UK taxpayers could be liable for a substantial part of the costs over the next forty years for the North Sea’s decommissioning. WWF Scotland Director, Lang Banks, has responded:

“The GMB is absolutely right to highlight the massive liability facing UK taxpayers in order to clean up the mess left behind by North Sea oil and gas industry. Having made hundreds of millions of pounds in profits over the past few decades, the costs for decommissioning old rigs and restoring the marine environment should be being fully covered by the companies themselves.

“In the interests of tackling climate change we need to see an end to all Government subsidies and incentives that encourage new fossil fuel extraction, including North Sea oil and gas. Instead we need to see investment by UK and Scottish ministers in the development of oil and gas decommissioning facilities and the continued acceleration of renewables right across Scotland.

“With the right kind of support from politicians, Scotland could begin a properly planned and just transition away from fossil fuels, that creates new economic opportunities through harnessing the skills of those currently employed in the sector in clean energy technologies and decommissioning.”