London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 17, 2025

Sturgeon urged to commit to end oil and gas production in Scotland

Sturgeon urged to commit to end oil and gas production in Scotland

First minister says country could join Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance at lowest ‘friend’ tier of support
Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to take a tougher stance on phasing out oil and gas by signing up to a new global alliance that calls for an end date for oil drilling.

Scotland’s first minister signalled earlier this week that her government was hardening its position on oil and gas production by confirming she did not believe the new Cambo oilfield off Shetland should be licensed.

After months of pressure to take a more radical position on oil drilling, Sturgeon also confirmed her government could join a new coalition of oil- and gas-producing nations that has committed itself to phasing out oil and gas.

She said Scotland could join the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance but as a “friend”, the group’s lowest tier of support, instead of as a full or associate member. That tier does not commit signatories to set an end date for oil production.

Sturgeon said she had to act slowly to ensure a “just transition” to renewables for the 100,000 people estimated to be dependent on the oil and gas industry in Scotland.

“I do not think that we can go on extracting new oil and gas forever. That is why we have moved away from the policy of maximum economic recovery, and I do not think that we can continue to give the go-ahead to new oilfields, so I do not think that Cambo should get the green light,” she told MSPs.

Sturgeon is facing competing pressures over climate policies: her rejection of Cambo has led to fierce criticism from within the Scottish National party but her Scottish Green party allies in government are pressing her to take a more radical stance.

Mary Church, a senior climate campaigner with Friends of the Earth Scotland, said it was essential oil-producing nations committed to an end date, in part because it would give industry and the affected communities a clear date for which to plan.

She said Scotland had an obligation to show leadership, given its significance as an oil-producing country.

“Signing up to the alliance at the highest level would be a clear indication of this necessary new direction of travel for Scottish government energy policy, and an important next step after Cop26,” Church said.

“A failure to do so would be a failure to follow through on her government’s recent change of position to no longer support unlimited oil and gas extraction. When you’re in a hole, you have to stop digging. To meet the 1.5C goal, we need to keep all fossil fuels safe in the ground.”

The alliance was set up by Denmark and Costa Rica and has France, Ireland, Greenland and Wales, a devolved nation in the UK with fewer powers than Scotland, among its eight full members.

That top tier commits its members to ending all new oil production licences and leases, and to set an end date for oil production consistent with the Paris climate agreement’s quest to limit global heating to well under 2C.

Ireland, an ally of Sturgeon’s devolved government, relies on its own gas fields for 60% of its domestic supplies. Yet in February, the Irish cabinet, which includes Green party ministers, announced a ban on all new hydrocarbon exploration in Irish waters to force the country to focus on renewable energy and cut its carbon dioxide emissions.

Denmark, a small country with a similar population to Scotland that has 55 oil and gas platforms in the North Sea, announced in December 2020 it would no longer license new North Sea fields.

California, Portugal and New Zealand are signed up as second-tier associates as states that “have taken significant concrete steps” to reduce oil production, by removing domestic subsidies or ending financial backing for production overseas.

The “friend” tier commits its signatories to supporting a “socially just and equitable global transition” and the less onerous goals of “alignment” with the Paris agreement and a member’s own climate neutrality targets. So far only Italy has joined as a friend.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
×