Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed she thinks the Cambo oil field "Should not the green light", providing further evidence that new oil and gas projects can expect to face increased political opposition in the wake of the Glasgow Climate Pact.
Speaking to MSPs yesterday, Sturgeon revealed for the first time that she wants to see the controversial project blocked, having previously called for the development to be reassessed.
She said that for any new assessment of the project's viability "the presumption would be that Cambo could not and should not pass any rigorous climate assessment".
The final decision on whether to grant approval for the project rests with the UK authorities. The Westminster government has said new fossil fuel projects would have to pass a net zero test to ensure they are compatible with the UK's overarching target to deliver net zero emissions by 2050.
However, environmental groups fear any test is unlikely to be sufficiently robust and while the UK government has said an environmental impact assessment will be carried out before the project is granted approval, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack recently said the new field should "100 per cent" get the green light.
Last week an analysis from Carbon Tracker argued that the project would likely prove uneconomic if the global economy decarbonises in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement and demand for oil and gas falls as anticipated.
However, the UK government has repeatedly stressed that "there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas over the coming years" and pointedly declined to join the new Beyond Oil and Gas coalition, which was launched by Denmark and Costa Rica on the sidelines of COP26 and is calling on governments to bring an end to new fossil fuel exploration.
But Sturgeon has now drawn a clear dividing line with the Westminster government, insisting the project should not be able to pass a credible climate test.
"I don't think Cambo should get the green light," she told MSPs. "I don't think we can go on extracting oil and gas forever, and I don't think we can continue to give the go ahead to new oil fields.
"I have set out a proposal for a climate assessment and I think the presumption would be that Cambo could not and should not pass any rigorous climate assessment."
The move was welcomed by Friends of the Earth Scotland, which said the comments marked "an important progression of the Scottish government's position, which must now translate into clear opposition to all new fossil fuel projects".
The stance was also welcomed by Labour MSPs, but Scottish Conservatives accused Sturgeon of having "come off the fence and fully abandoned Scotland's oil and gas industry"
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