Gavin Bridge is Professor of Economic Geography at Durham University in the United Kingdom. His research centres on the spatial and temporal dynamics of extractive industries, primarily oil, gas and mining. He completed an undergraduate degree in Geography at the University of Oxford in 1991, and holds a PhD from the Graduate School of Geography at Clark University, Massachusetts. His research on the geographical political economy of natural resources has been funded by the US National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the British Academy, UKRI Economic and Social Research Council and the UK Energy Research Centre.
Offering oil and gas licences every year distracts from the challenge of winding down UK North Sea
New areas for oil and gas development on the UK’s North Sea continental shelf are to be made available through annual licensing rounds subject to net zero tests. These proposals by the UK government, outlined in the 2023 king’s speech to parliament, fly in the face of recommendations by the Climate Change Committee – the government’s own independent advisers.
November 13, 2023