I’ve made no secret of the fact that I think giving the North Sea gas field the go-ahead is probably the right call. Energy security matters, bills matter and there is a growing backlash against net zero when people feel they are being asked to pay more and more for the transition.
But I wanted to test that view properly, so on this week’s Net Hero Podcast I sat down with Professor Mari Martiskainen from the University of Birmingham, who has spent 20 years looking at energy policy and society.
She did not agree with me.
“You know what? So I was actually really disappointed. I have to say that, I think it sends the wrong message. We have just had a record breaking summer of really extreme heat. Not just in the UK, but also, you know, other countries in the world. So we are really living climate change already as we speak.”
What I liked about the conversation was that it did not become a simple fossil fuels bad, renewables good argument. Mari completely understands why the government is under pressure now, with high bills, geopolitical instability and North Sea jobs all part of the equation.
“I think that obviously there are political pressures. You know, we have had lots and lots of energy price hikes and it’s affecting millions of households in the UK. It’s affecting small businesses. We have high rates of fuel poverty. So you know obviously the situation is dire in many places.”
Her argument is that Jackdaw does not really fix those problems. Gas is still sold into an international market, she says, so producing more of it here does not automatically mean cheaper bills.
Where she thinks we have gone wrong is spending huge amounts cushioning energy prices rather than fixing the buildings that keep wasting the stuff in the first place.
“If we would have invested that money into actually improving our housing stock, energy bills would be a lot lower to start with. So, you know, so I think this, it’s just almost like sticking a plaster on something that we actually fundamentally really haven’t fixed yet.”
She does concede there are benefits. Jackdaw will support North Sea jobs and bring in tax revenue and she accepts that the current cost and political pressures make the decision understandable. Her worry is what it signals about where we go next.
“I really hope that it’s not a gateway drug for Rosebank, I’m sorry to use that expression, but I really hope that that’s not the case. Yeah, I hope it’s just a little, hiccup.”
That, for me, is the real debate. Is Jackdaw pragmatic politics in a very difficult moment or the start of edging backwards on the transition?
I’m still not convinced it is the wrong call but Mari makes a strong case for why we should be very careful about what comes next.
Listen to the full conversation with Professor Mari Martiskainen on the Net Hero Podcast, download the episode wherever you get your podcasts and please subscribe.
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