Keep up to date with July 2023’s news with our digest of daily updated headlines about the business, regulation and campaigns around UK fracking, shale, and onshore oil and gas.

Click here for headlines from previous months. Please let us know if we’ve missed something important  contact@DrillOrDrop.com

Monday 31 July 2023

“Wrong decision at wrong time”, say opponents of PM’s announcement on new oil and gas licences. DrillOrDrop report. Widespread media coverage of the announcement and reaction, including Guardian, Independent, Politico and Daily Mail. The Guardian has an editorial on why it thinks the UK government is misreading the mood. The Times says more drilling is a “sensible step”.

Cuadrilla gives up three Yorkshire shale gas licences. DrillOrDrop report

Sunak orders review of low traffic neighbourhoods in pro-motorist message. BBC News reports that the prime minister has ordered a review of low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in England, saying that he is on the side of drivers.

Sunday 30 July 2023

Priti Patel: We must pause all net zero targets. The former home secretary, writing in the Sunday Telegraph criticises what she calls the “corrosive culture” of pursuing time-limited goals, saying voters are being leftbehind.

Environmental groups warn Rishi Sunak over green pledges. BBC News reports that more than 50 organisations, representing 20 million people, have written to Rishi Sunak expressing “deep alarm” at reports his government may water down its green commitments.

Saturday 29 July 2023

Rishi Sunak warned that Tories’ key green pledges are ‘unachievable’. The Guardian reports that a Whitehall watchdog has given red ratings to measures aimed to bring net-zero goals.

The cost of living crisis can only be beaten by tackling the climate crisis. Ed Miliband, writing in the Guardian, says tackling the climate and cost of living crises must go hand in hand.

I am on motorists’ side, says Sunak as he orders review of anti-car schemes. The prime minister tells the Telegraph that the vast majority of people are “dependent on their cars”.

Friday 28 July 2023

Egdon transfers Cloughton shale gas licences to Europa. DrillOrDrop report.

G20 nations fail to agree on emission reduction targets at talks. Reuters reports that the Group of 20 nations failed to agree targets on cutting emissions.

Thursday 27 July 2023

‘Era of global boiling has arrived,’ says UN chief as July set to be hottest month on record. The Guardian reports comments by the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, who said the era of global warming has ended and “the era of global boiling has arrived”.

Climate change: July set to be world’s warmest month on record. BBC News reports comments by scientists that July is “virtually certain” to be the world’s warmest month on record.

Climate Litigation Has Exploded, but Is it Making a Difference? Inside Climate News reports there have been two and a half times more climate litigation acros the globe since 2017.

Carbon Tracker: Financial firms’ ‘flawed’ climate models putting millions of pensions at risk. Business Green reports on Carbon Tracker’s warning that financial institutions relying on economic research that ignores critical scientific evidence about the financial risks from climate change.

Revealed: Fossil Fuel Giants Are Using British Influencers to go Viral. DeSmog reports that some of the world’s biggest polluters are paying social media celebrities and environmentalists to promote their brands to billions of people.

Is the decline of oil in sight? BBC News reports on suggestions by the International Energy Agency that peak oil use is in sight this decade as the world switches to renewables.

Could global warming benefit the UK as Lord Frost claims? Simon Evans, writing for the Guardian, checks the facts behind claims that it is cheaper to adapt to climate breakdown than stop it.

Public must be spared huge burden of net zero, says Tony Blair. The Telegraph picks up comments by the former prime minister in a New Statesman interview that the UK can play its part in climate change fight but its efforts risk being dwarfed by impact of countries such as China.

Climate advocate King Charles to host Rishi Sunak at Balmoral after Net Zero pledges watered down. inews reports Rishi Sunak and his family will travel to Balmoral at the end of August to stay with the King and Queen, setting up a potentially awkward encounter over the Prime Minister’s watering down of the Government’s net zero agenda after a summer of record global temperatures and raging wildfires.

UK renewables generated record amount of electricity in 2022, figures show. PA reports that renewable energy provided 135.0 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2022, beating the previous record of 134.3TWh set in 2020.

MPs call for cleaner energy as UK ‘reliance’ on gas could cost taxpayers billions. The Express reports on the Office for Budget Responsibility finding that future price shocks on gas could cost taxpayers up to three percent of GDP a year.

UK billionaire’s charity cleared by regulator after preliminary investigation. The Guardian reports that the Charity Commission has closed preliminary investigation into concerns about governance at a charity set up by the UK’s richest person, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, which helped fund a £16m luxury clubhouse for an exclusive French Alps club where he and his daughter have skied for years.

40C summer to be new normal due to climate change, says Met Office. The Times reports the findings from a new report which concludes that heatwaves that see temperatures of 40C will be “the new normal in Britain”/

Wednesday 26 July 2023

State of the climate: 2023 now likely hottest year on record after extreme summer. CarbonBrief reports the first half of 2023 has been extremely warm worldwide as a developing El Niño event on top of human-caused climate change helped drive temperatures into record-breaking territories. 

Sunak sticking to 2030 ban on sales of new petrol cars. The Times reports that UK prime minister Rishi Sunak “is sticking with a 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel car sales for fear of an industry backlash that would threaten green investment in Britain

UK candidate Jim Skea elected as new leader of UN climate science body. Politico reports on the new head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Net zero goals need more carrot, less stick. The Times says changes will take decades and cost billions, but politicians should sell us a vision of where a green revolution will lead.

Equinor banks on £3.75bn tax break while posting “outrageous profits”. Friends of the Earth Scotland says climate campaigners have reacted with outrage at the news that Norwegian oil giant Equinor has today announced pre-tax profits of £5.8 billion (US$7.5 billion) in just the last 3 months.

Tuesday 25 July 2023

Greenpeace challenging UK’s new North Sea oil and gas licenses. Reuters reports Britain’s decision to authorise new licences for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea came under scrutiny at London’s High Court on Tuesday, as Greenpeace argued the government failed to assess emissions produced by burning extracted fuel.

Eco activists ‘concrete and glue’ themselves to road at Scots oil refinery as arrests made. The Daily Record quotes police in Scotland who said environmental protestors have “concreted and glued” themselves to an access road leading to a Scots oil terminal, with “a number of people” arrested.

Record-breaking 2023 heat events are ‘not rare anymore’ due to climate change. A rapid attribution study in CarbonBrief concludes the intense heatwaves that have been engulfing the US, China and southern Europe in July 2023 are “not rare anymore” in our current climate.

UK government ‘clearly not on course’ to meet 2030 nature target, peers find. The Independent reports a warming from the Lords environment and climate change committee that the government has a mountain to climb if it is to meet target to protect 30% of England’s land and sea by 2030.

Ditching green policies may not be the vote winner Sunak expects. The Guardian reports that the Tory perception that “red wall” voters don’t care about the climate crisis is not backed up by evidence.

Tories switching to Labour say Rishi Sunak isn’t green enough. The Times reports the majority of Tory voters who plan to switch to Labour in the next election think that Rishi Sunak has not done enough on climate change, according to polling that comes as the Conservatives consider rowing back on green policies.”

The Sunday Telegraph misleads its readers about climate policy. The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change responds to a Sunday Telegraph leader calling for a referendum on net zero. The paper’s lobbying position is “characteristically based on inaccurate and misleading claims”, the institute says.

Monday 24 July 2023

Tory London Mayor Candidate Backed Fracking and Promoted Climate Science Denial. DeSmog reports Susan Hall, the Conservative Party candidate for London mayor, has opposed key climate policies, backed the reintroduction of fracking and promoted articles online which spread climate science denial.

The Tories have laid a ‘cut the green crap’ trap for Keir Starmer. He must not fall for it. The Guardian comments that Labour’s path to victory lies in sticking to its guns. Any allies who argue for a green retreat should be shown the door.

Rishi Sunak vows not to add ‘unnecessary’ costs to meet green targets. BBC News reports Rishi Sunak has promised not to “unnecessarily” add costs and “hassle” to households to hit climate targets.

Greta Thunberg fined over Swedish climate protest. BBC News reports that climate activist Greta Thunberg has been fined for disobeying a police order to leave a climate protest in the Swedish port of Malmö last month.

Saturday 22 July 2023

Dropping green pledges would be ‘political suicide’, Sunak and Starmer warned. The Guardian reports senior figures from business, the scientific community and across the political divide warned that any watering down of climate policies would be deeply unpopular with voters, set back the international fight to reach net zero and damage Britain’s green reputation.

Friday 21 July 2023

Belgian court blocks plans for Ineos Project One plastics development. DrillOrDrop report on court ruling issue on 20 July 2023 on Ineos ethane cracker.

Council considers appeal over Dunsfold gas drilling decision. DrillOrDrop report

Thursday 20 July 2023

Breaking: Legal challenge fails to block Dunsfold gas drilling. DrillOrDrop report on the High Court ruling on judicial review by Protect Dunsfold and Waverley Borough Council

Wednesday 19 July 2023

Residents bring legal challenge against government over oil testing in Balcombe, 10 years after summer of anti-fracking protests. DrillOrDrop report on Frack Free Balcombe Residents Association High Court hearing against Michael Gove.

Monday 17 July 2023

1 in 10 flights taking off from UK are private jets. The Times reports on analysis by the campaign group, Possible, which found 1 in 10 departures from UK airports are now private jets. The paper says “the growth in private flights poses a challenge to Britain’s 2050 net-zero goal, with the planes carrying an average of three passengers or [fewer]. The article adds that a recent government-commissioned report said almost all the emissions savings needed to hit the target could be achieved by halving private jet flights”

Sunday 16 July 2023

Police arrest five for ‘breach of peace’ after climate protest at Ineos oil refinery. The Independent reports five people were arrested after environmental activists staged a day of resistance at the Ineos oil refinery at Grangemouth, near Falkirk. The website says four people climbed onto the roof of the Ineos gas power station that powers the oil refinery and held up a banner which read “Climate Justice for Grangemouth” on Saturday afternoon. Special report from The National.

Top UK energy firms to warn Rishi Sunak: ‘Don’t back off green agenda’. The Observer reports that more than 100 of the UK’s biggest energy companies will tell Rishi Sunak this week not to back off the green agenda after a report by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned of catastrophic effects on the economy of continued overreliance on gas.

Big oil quietly walks back on climate pledges as global heat records tumble. The Guardian reports energy firms have made record profits by increasing production of oil and gas, far from their promises of rolling back emissions

Friday 14 July 2023

George Lucan steps down as Angus Energy’s chair. DrillOrDrop report on board changes at the company and refinancing plans.

Rishi Sunak must stick to £11.6bn climate commitment, say MPs. The Guardian reports comments by a cross-party letter from 51 MPs, including Conservatives, who said the prime minister must uphold is £11.6bn climate finance commitment

Just Stop Oil’s secret plans to ‘paralyse London’ in ‘biggest protest ever’. The Express reports (exclusively) that climate campaigners are set to descend on London on Monday rush-hour, in a bid to force what they call “the murderous government” to scrap all new domestic oil and gas licensing.

Thursday 13 July 2023

South Downs oil field to resume production. DrillOrDrop report on the decision to restart production at Avington in Hampshire.

Shell considers selling green energy stake in shift back to oil and gas. Bloomberg reports Shell is exploring options for its global renewable power operations, including a potential stake sale to outside investors.

The fossil fuel interests behind Liz Truss’s growth commission. DeSmog reports that the new free market ‘taskforce’ is almost entirely made up of senior figures from US and UK think tanks who have been funded by fossil fuels, climate change deniers, and more.

Climate Camp: US anti-fracking group shows support for activists in Grangemouth. The Falkirk Herald reports American communities blighted by fracking have given their backing to the Grangemouth Climate Camp and what activists are trying to achieve there. The camp, which is located in Kinneil Estate, in Bo’ness, was just set up on Wednesday.

It’s time for an independent UK centre for climate security. Alok Sharma, Conservative MP and president of COP26, and Richard Nugee, a former chief of Defence People who led a review into climate change policy for the UK’s Ministry of Defence, call in the Times for the creation of an independent UK centre for climate security.

Study sows methane leaks put climate risk from gas “on a par with coal”. CommonDreams.org reports on a new study which found that if fracked gas leaks, even a little “it’s as bad as coal”. The study concluded fracked gas “can’t be considered a good bridge, or substitute”.

COP28: Admit your failures, climate summit host Al Jaber tells nations. BBC News reports comments by the president of COP28 that governments must face up to their failures to tackle climate change at the next UN climate summit.

UK’s second larget offshore wind farm given the green light. City Am reports that Hornsea 4, with potential to power over 1m homes, has been given the go-ahead, two years after a planning application was first made.

Wednesday 12 July 2023

UN CLIMATE TALKS 

12 July 2023  8:57

In-depth Q&A: Will the new global shipping deal help deliver climate goals? CarbonBrief reports on the international agreement on the first net-zero target for the global shipping industry.

After two years of real progress on climate, a European ‘greenlash’ is brewing. The Guardian publishes a comment piece on how, as climate pledges become reality, opposition to the green agenda is growing and the populist right is latching on to it.

Tuesday 11 July 2023

Rosebank: UK’s biggest oil and gas field faces fresh delay amid regulator concerns over net zero goals. CityAm reports Rosebank, the UK’s largest undeveloped oil and gas field, is highly unlikely to be approved in time for parliamentary recess, amid growing concerns from regulators over electrification and net zero compatibility across the industry.

Proposed new UK oil and gas fields would provide at most three weeks of energy a year. The Guardian reports on analysis which suggests new oil and gas fields in the North Sea would produce only enough gas to satisfy the UK’s needs for a few weeks a year, with a minimal impact on energy security.

Whitby ‘hydrogen village’ rejected after opposition from residents. The Times reports that plans to use hydrogen for heating and cooking in up to 2,000 homes in Cheshire “have been scrapped after opposition from residents”. It says the change of plan on the “hydrogen village” project marks “the latest setback for proponents of hydrogen for home heating amid signs that the government is cooling on the idea”.

Starmer risks chop from voters for being such a green meanie. A comment in the Independent says the Labour leader is treading a dangerous eco path with his ‘love trees, hate tree huggers’ mantra, which could prove decisive at the ballot box.

Paris to charge SUV drivers higher parking fees to tackle ‘auto-besity’. The Guardian reports Paris city hall is to impose higher parking fees on owners of SUVs in its battle to reduce pollution in the capital.

Monday 10 July 2023

First week in July set to be world’s hottest on record. The Times reports that preliminary data from the World Meteorological Organisation suggests that the first week of July was the world’s hottest on record. The paper says: “The WMO said that at least three datasets – run by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the University of Maine and the European Union’s space programme, Copernicus – indicated that preliminary temperature records had been broken.”

The big idea: why climate tribalism only helps the deniers. The Guardian reports that from nuclear power to electric vehicles, battles between activists risk getting in the way of reducing emissions.

Drop carbon offsetting-based environmental claims, companies urged. The Guardian reports on a new quality standard which says companies should drop offsetting-based environmental claims and adopt a “climate contribution” model instead.

Saturday 8 July 2023

George Osborne’s wedding disrupted by protester. The Guardian reports that a protester threw orange confetti over the former chancellor and his new wife as they left the church after their wedding.

Friday 7 July 2023

Government faces second legal challenge over ‘unlawful’ climate plans. DrillOrDrop report on three environmental organisations seeking a second legal challenge over the government’s net zero strategy.

For the third time this week, Earth sets an unofficial heat record. Associated Press reports the earth’s average temperature set a new unofficial record high on Thursday, the third such milestone in a week that already rated as the hottest on record.

Thursday 6 July 2023

UK onshore oil and gas production in charts – April 2023. DrillOrDrop’s review of the latest UK onshore production data, for April 2023, reveals a big drop in monthly production from the largest field at Wytch Farm. This cut the UK’s total monthly onshore oil volumes by more than half.

Oil giant Shell warns cutting production ‘dangerous’. BBC News reports on an interview with Wael Sawan, head of Shell, who said “cutting oil and gas production would be “dangerous and irresponsible”.

Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe calls UK energy policy ‘crap’. The FT reports comments by Jim Ratcliffe hat UK energy policy was “crap” because “whether we like it or not, we cannot survive without hydrocarbons as that is 85 per cent of our energy base in the UK”. (The actual figure is 75%.)

Police move protesters to clear access to UK’s largest coal mine. Extinction Rebellion reports that police have arrived at the Ffos-y-Fran coalmine, which is opeprating without a licence since September 2022. Protesters have locked on to a boat, the first lock-on protest since the 2023 Public Order Act came into effect outlawing the tactic.

Sweden charges Greta Thunberg for blockading oil port. BBC News reports the climate activist Greta Thunberg will appear in court in July charged with “disobeying the police” during a protest blockading oil tankers at a port in Malmö in June. 

Angus Energy announces “remedial engine maintenance” at Saltfleetby. A statement by Angus Energy said following a planned maintenance shutdown at the Saltfleetby gas field from 19-21 June, problems were identified with the performance of the second compressor engine. The field has been operating with a single compressor at an average daily rate of 6mmscfd. Work on the compressor was completed on 5 July 2023 and the field has returned to full operation with three wells on stream.

Shell boss’s comments on oil output ‘irresponsible’, U.N.’s climate chief says. Reuters reports comments by Simon Steill, head of the UN climate change body, who condemned Shell boss Wael Sawan’s warning against cutting oil and gas production.

London’s Gatwick airport submits plans to increase capacity by 60%. The Irish Times reports London Gatwick has applied for planning permission to expand its annual passenger capacity by 60 per cent, becoming the latest UK airport to bet on a significant growth in flying in the coming decades despite climate change concerns.

COP28 president’s company explored dropping ‘oil’ from its name. The Times reports that the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, headed by the president of the upcoming COP28 climate summit, is (Adnoc) “considered dropping ‘oil’ from its name in [a] green rebranding attempt”.

Earth’s average temperature matches record high set a day earlier. Associated Press reports the earth’s average temperature on Wednesday 5 July remained at an unofficial record high set the day before, “the latest grim milestone in a week that has seen series of climate-change-driven extremes”.

Governments set to fail to plot shipping industry course for 1.5C. Climate Change News reports a campaign by climate-vulnerable Pacific islands to raise governments’ ambition on emissions-cutting for the global shipping industry looks set to fail at talks in London.

Wednesday 5 July 2023

UK risks shattering global standing by dumping £11.6bn climate pledge, ministers told. The Guardian reports on a message from civil servants to ministers that Rishi Sunak risks damaging trust in the UK among developing countries and reducing the country’s standing in negotiations, because of a failure to meet climate spending pledges.

Conservative warns of climate change ‘vacuum and silence’. BBC News reports that the Conservative MP and former climate adviser, Chris Skidmore, has warned of a “vacuum and silence” in government on climate change.

The Prime Minister’s failure to champion the environment could cost him the next election. Business Green reports on comments by Cameron Smith of the Conservative Environment Network that Zac Goldsmith’s resignation is just the latest warning to government that it must ramp up its support of climate and environmental issues.

Extinction Rebellion pink boat arrives at UK’s illegal coal mine. Extinction Rebellionn reports that its boat has shut down the fos-y-Fran coal mine near Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales. The mine has been operating without a licence since September 2022.

‘Double agents’: fossil-fuel lobbyists work for US groups trying to fight climate crisis. The Guardian reports that more than 1,500 lobbyists in the US are working on behalf of fossil-fuel companies while at the same time representing hundreds of liberal-run cities, universities, technology companies and environmental groups that say they are tackling the climate crisis.

World registers hottest day ever recorded on July 3. Reuters reports that Monday 3 July was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to data from the US National Centers for Environmental Protection.

Ineos to buy out TotalEnergies’ interest in joint Lavéra petrochemical, logistics assets. Oil & Gas Journal reports TotalEnergies SE and INEOS Group have entered a deal to realign ownership interest in their jointly held petrochemical production assets and logistics infrastructure located at the 650-acre Lavéra platform in southeastern France.

Tuesday 4 July 2023

Revealed: UK plans to drop flagship £11.6bn climate pledge. A Guardian exclusive reveals that a leaked briefing note suggests the government is drawing up plans to drop the UK’s flagship £11.6bn climate and nature funding pledge, with the prime minister accused of betraying populations most vulnerable to global heating.

UK refutes claims it is dropping $14.76 billion climate pledge. Reuters reports comments by the British government that claims it was dropping its international climate finance pledge are fealse.

Rishi Sunak’s net zero culture war will cost him more votes than he’ll gain. An opinion column in the Independent says the prime minister’s diversionary rhetoric about Just Stop Oil risks junking the cross-party consensus on tackling climate change.

Shipping set to boost climate targets. Climate Change News reports that a draft agreement, which is subject to change, would target net zero near 2050 and set goals for 2030 and 2040

Monday 3 July 2023

World hits record land, sea temperatures as climate change fuels 2023 extremes. Reuters reports comments by climate experts that the target of keeping long-term global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) is moving out of reach, with nations failing to set more ambitious goals despite months of record-breaking heat on land and sea.

Why shipping faces a showdown over greenhouse gas. BBC News reports on the impact of the shipping industry on climate and its failure to have a goal for cutting emissions to net zero.

Extinction Rebellion targets Wood Aberdeen office in latest anti-oil and gas protest. Aberdeen Live reports climate activists gathered outside Aberdeen and Surrey offices of Wood, the engineering and consultancy demanding it cut ties with the oil and gas sector

Sunday 2 July 2023

Anti-fracking campaigner, Bob Dennett, died. Tributes coming soon on DrillOrDrop

Put brakes on ‘damaging’ drive to ban petrol and diesel cars by 2030, MPs and industry leaders tell ministers as Mail poll finds just 1 in 4 back the government’s timetable for moving to electric vehicles. The Daily Mail said ministers were under pressure last night to ease off the pedal on their drive towards banning petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

China Is Buying Gas Like There’s Still an Energy Crisis. Bloomberg reports China is on a gas shopping spree and officials are happy for importers to keep striking deals even after a global energy crisis has eased.