Letters / Green solutions are not green
On Friday, the Stop Oil demonstration had plenty to say, some of which flies in the face of reality. We all accept that climate change is a problem; it is how to fix it that is the issue.
Are Green solutions green?
Stop oil development?
The UK is a net importer of oil, so the shortfall has to come from somewhere, why not Cambo or Rosebank?
If the shortfall is to come from foreign fields, can we be sure that the procedures and environmental standards that apply in Scottish waters are applied elsewhere?
Foreign oil then has to travel to us on tankers[i] that use heavy fuel oil which is very bad for the environment.
Energy security has been highlighted by the war in Ukraine; do we want to depend on other countries for our oil supplies? What happens if our suppliers switch off the supply?
Oil is used to produce many, varied products[ii], in part or whole, that figure in everyday life. Plastic comes from oil, have we to immediately stop using plastic?
Electric cars
Thinking of buying an electric car? There are too many issues to make them a viable way forward.
Plastic parts make up 50 per cent[iii] of the parts in an electric car, but being lightweight make up only 10 per cent by weight. Plastic parts have to be used because an electric battery is so heavy. No oil, no plastic!
No oil, no plastic, no electric cars!
What about the charging infrastructure? There are not enough charging points, and often they do not work.
Another problem with electric cars is the range; long journeys have to be planned from one charging point to the next.
Faults in software can be a frustrating issue. My son was stranded in Gretna services for over three hours on Sunday night; he was a passenger in an electric car which failed to accept a charge until the AA could attend.
Mobile phones
Silicon is the most used material in a smartphone[iv] followed by plastic on almost 23 per cent.
No oil, no plastic, no new mobile phones!
Look to Norway
As of January 2020, Norway[v] had 87 oil fields in production, the highest number ever, the new Norwegian peak oil is now expected in 2024.
Our very rich neighbour does not need the tax take; it needs the products from oil that we use to live modern life.
Just transition
Would you want to be an oil worker dependent on a just transition to other work? Plenty of talk from both governments, but there is no detail.
Brian Nugent
Secretary
Sovereignty
[i] https://www.norshipsale.com/what-are-the-4-major-types-of-fuels-used-in-ships/
[ii] https://www.iogp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Oils-Many-Uses-ENG.pdf
[iii] https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-much-oil-electric-vehicle/
[iv] https://www.statista.com/statistics/270454/top-10-materials-in-a-smartphone/
[v] https://www.arctictoday.com/norway-pushes-forward-on-more-oil-and-gas-production/
See also:
Protestors gather to voice opposition to Rosebank oil development
