Quakers urge honesty in North Sea energy plan
The UK government should focus on proven renewable energy solutions rather than “overly optimistic" narratives around carbon capture, Quakers say
Responding to the UK government's consultation on Building the North Sea's Energy Future, Quakers in Britain warns against relying too heavily on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).
The Quaker submission welcomed plans to grow the UK's clean energy industry but said carbon capture technologies are expensive, unproven at scale, and could delay real progress.
Quakers are spiritually committed to truth and integrity, regarding them as values essential to a moral life and a functioning democracy.
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[Renewable energy] could offer us true energy security, not just in the short term, but the long term too
- Quakers in Britain
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Their submission said that when public trust is lost – especially in climate policy – it provides a platform for those undermining climate solutions by throwing doubt on their affordability and feasibility.
Renewable energy could help the UK achieve significant emissions reductions while lowering bills for the public and sustainably providing for future generations, they said.
"It could offer us true energy security, not just in the short term, but the long term too."
The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has highlighted rising international political interest in unproven at scale technologies to tackle the climate emergency.
So far, no project has captured more than 80 per cent of emissions.
And the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency have raised doubts about the effectiveness of CCUS.
Quakers argue that renewable energy and electrification are already working and can bring down energy bills while cutting emissions.
In their submission, Quakers highlighted concerns over "decarbonising oil and gas" with CCUS.
New fossil fuel developments should not be built on the hope that future technologies will clean up their emissions, they said.