The UK, Norway and Denmark all have gaps in policies aimed at ensuring a just transition, a Oil and Gas Transitions Initiative report compiled by Stockholm Environment Institute finds. It is based on research by the three university partners of the initiative, the universities of Oslo, Aalborg and Edinburgh.
The report presents a Just Oil and Gas Transition scorecard for each of the North Sea countries. The countries especially lack policies to support people, communities and regions most affected by the transition. Only Denmark has clear renewable energy targets and a phase-out date for oil and gas production. Not having clear targets to end production is making it difficult for Norway and the United Kingdom to properly plan for a transition.
This is despite the fact that all three North Sea countries have the finance, know-how and capacity to move away from fossil fuel-based economies.
To manage the impacts of a transition away from oil and gas, governments should aim for increased support for an orderly phase-out and managed reorientation as part of just transition programmes. This includes setting clear phase-out targets (also to help companies plan better), re-skilling programmes and solutions for repurposing or decommissioning oil and gas infrastructure.