Life in political office is all about decisions. British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband faces a dilemma in approving two new oil and gasfields in the face of courts and climate campaigners. But smart policy can move this beyond a zero-sum choice.
Rosebank and Jackdaw are two of the largest undeveloped fields in British waters, found in 2004 and 2005 respectively, so waiting a long time for their turn. Rosebank could hold about 500 million barrels of oil, and Jackdaw the gas equivalent of 120-250 million barrels of oil.
The fields were approved for development by the previous Conservative government in autumn 2023 and summer 2022, respectively. Mr Miliband, then in opposition, described Rosebank as a “colossal waste of taxpayer money and climate vandalism”.
Last month, a Scottish court ruled that the approval was unlawful, as it considered only direct greenhouse gas emissions from the fields’ operation, not the downstream emissions from burning the oil and gas they contain.
The governing Labour Party, and Mr Miliband specifically, are stuck in a trap. They are strongly committed to the UK’s “net-zero” carbon plan, and they have a strong environmentalist base among their voters and MPs.
But with public finances in tatters, and facing a challenge from the climate-denying Reform Party as well as the Conservatives, they have pledged to boost economic growth and simplify regulation. They also face criticisms of putting net zero ahead of energy security, affordability and reliability.
The environmentalist case, put by organisations such as Greenpeace, is simple: if the world is on a net-zero path, there is no need for new oil and gasfield developments. The emissions from combusting the hydrocarbons from Jackdaw and Rosebank would add dangerously to global warming, with temperatures already exceeding the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C targeted limit.
The pro-development case is also pretty straightforward. Rosebank will support almost 1,200 full-time UK-based well-paid and high-skilled jobs. It will add 1 per cent to Scottish gross domestic product at peak production. Maintaining the industrial base of Scotland and northern England is a key objective for Labour. And Rosebank would pay approximately $20 billion in tax over its producing life.
Rosebank’s peak production will be about 75,000 barrels per day – 7 per cent of the UK’s total production, but a minuscule fraction of the more than 100 million bpd produced globally.
Even on its net-zero path, the UK will continue to need and use some oil and gas up to and beyond 2050. If Rosebank and Jackdaw are not developed, the UK will instead import from other countries, worsening its trade deficit and energy security.
There is no shortage of global reserves, so emissions from oil and gas worldwide are determined by demand, not production decisions. The imports could come, directly or indirectly, from suppliers who are geopolitically or environmentally unsavoury to London, including Vladimir Putin’s Russia or Donald Trump’s US.
And the carbon footprint of imported gas, in particular, is much higher than that of indigenous production. Liquefied natural gas requires an energy-intensive process to chill it, then shipping over long distances. Some of the leading suppliers, such as Nigeria, Algeria and the US, are notorious for methane leakage. The UK has full control and visibility on the operational emissions of fields in its water.
The argument is not just about these two fields. Although the UK’s petroleum sector is very mature, there are still fields to develop, such as Cambo, another magnet for controversy, near Rosebank and about half its size. Just on Friday, a small company, Egdon Resources, announced that it had found a huge onshore gas resource in Lincolnshire.
Yet companies will invest barely £3 billion ($3.8 billion) in Britain’s offshore oil and gas industry this year, and on a declining runway to £1.5 billion by the end of the decade. Wealthy neighbour Norway, by contrast, will spend a steady £13.5 billion or so each year, plus about £2.25 billion annually on exploration for new resources, and much of its gas is sold to the UK.
So how does Mr Miliband square this circle?
It is hard to argue that Britain is not doing its bit on climate. It has been the fastest-decarbonising major economy. Its latest submission under the Paris Agreement is one of the few that puts the economy on-track for a net-zero carbon world.
Rather than fighting the same battle on every new oil or gas development, the country needs a systematic principle. The solution could be the “takeback obligation” proposed by Professor Myles Allen, a climate scientist from Oxford University, and advocated by Dutch consultant Margriet Kuijper.
Under this idea, any supplier of carbon fuels to UK users – whether imported or produced at home – would be required to ensure a corresponding amount of carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere. This matches the scientific principle that true net zero means not adding any geological carbon to the atmosphere.
This obligation could initially be set at some fraction, say 10 per cent, of the emissions, and increase steadily to reach 100 per cent by the target date of 2050. It could even increase to more than 100 per cent afterwards to clean up past pollution and get back to the 1.5°C world intended by the Paris Agreement. The approach could be co-ordinated at a pan-European level, helping to meet the continent’s climate goals while reviving its energy industries.
Companies could meet this obligation by using fossil fuels in non-emitting ways – for example, with carbon capture and storage (CCS), or conversion to “blue” hydrogen. Or they could remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by biological, technological or mineralogical means, such as tree-planting, using “direct air capture” machines or the accelerated weathering of carbon-hungry rocks.
Mr Miliband has promised funding for CCS, which would ensure a sustainable second life for offshore oil and gas infrastructure, and future jobs for today’s petroleum workers. It could also create an export-orientated industry for carbon capture technology and services.
This approach would ensure sustainable and maximal use of the UK’s remaining oil and gas resources. It would end the fruitless legal battles over every new field. And the Labour government could square its climate ambitions with the quest for equitable economic recovery. But it's certainly no bank of roses for those in power.
Robin M Mills is chief executive of Qamar Energy, and author of The Myth of the Oil Crisis
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
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Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
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PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset was due to a personal matter.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S24%20ULTRA
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Wildman Jack, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Matterhorn, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Loxley, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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Results
Stage Two:
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 04:20:45
2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates
4. Olav Kooij (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
General Classification:
1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix 09:03:03
2. Dmitry Strakhov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:04
3. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 00:00:06
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:10
5. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:12
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