The UK has a long history of oil and natural gas exploration and extraction on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), which helped strengthen the country’s energy security, providing it with some breathing room when it comes to its reliance on gas imports. However, outrage over oil spills and the climate crisis is mounting, as the calls for putting an end to drilling, new exploration licences and production approvals for offshore oil and gas developments have intensified. The findings in a recent report about the way oil spills are impacting the UK waters are bound to spur these calls even further.
