Oil & Gas Transitions
Co-creating evidence to accelerate policy action in the North Sea
Our initiative aims to develop a better understanding of oil and gas transition scenarios for the North Sea region (Denmark, Norway and the UK), establish buy-in from key stakeholders and enable collaboration to scale up innovation and early-stage just transition efforts in the oil and gas sector.
The Challenge
Limiting global warming to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C, requires a deep transformation of our energy systems to drastically cut fossil fuels. A just transition for the oil and gas sector is our next frontier and a sensitive intervention point to close the gap between international climate ambitions and policies. In the North Sea, Denmark, Norway and the UK are expected to play a key role as first-movers, but only Denmark has so far committed to phase out production. Policymakers, industry, workers, financiers, academia and civil society need to work together to meet the scale of this challenge.
Only Denmark has a phase-out deadline for oil & gas production.
The Challenge
The Oil & Gas Sector in the North Sea
Denmark
11
Active fields in the North Sea
2.3%
% of country’s GHG emissions from upstream oil and gas activities
26,000
Direct & indirect jobs
Norway
67
Active fields in the North Sea
27%
% of country’s GHG emissions from upstream oil and gas activities
205,000
Direct & indirect jobs
UK
259
Active fields in the North Sea
4%
% of country’s GHG emissions from upstream oil and gas activities
151,600
Direct & indirect jobs
Tackling the Challenge
Robust evidence gathering to improve understanding of the need, barriers, opportunities and impacts of the oil and gas transitions in the UK, Norway and Denmark.
Co-production of just and feasible transition pathways to 2050 alongside a diversity of key stakeholders from government, industry, civil society and academia.
Roadmaps drawn from the lessons from the North Sea to raise ambition in other producing and non-producing countries around the world.
Effective articulation and collaboration with ongoing projects and organisations to leverage the real-world impact of our research.
Latest News
Oil and Gas Transitions: Taking stock of the COP26 and the EU’s energy crisis
This article first appeared as a contribution to the November 2021 edition of SEB's The Green Bond. By Gökçe Mete, Adriana Chavarria-Flores, Andrzej Błachowicz Limiting global...
Turning the spotlight on oil and gas transitions at COP26
Read an in-depth summary of how we turned the spotlight on oil and gas transitions at COP26.
New country reports on oil and gas transitions in Norway, Denmark and the UK launched at COP26
At COP26, we launched three country reports on oil and gas transitions in Denmark, the UK and Norway.
Partners
Latest Events
Oil and Gas as the Next Climate Frontier: Just Transitions from Black to Green
Watch a recording of our COP26 side event to learn how Denmark, Norway and the UK can become first movers on oil & gas transitions.
Oil & Gas Transitions: Co-creating evidence to accelerate action
30th June, 2021 — The North Sea is an intensive region for oil and gas exploration and production, with the UK, Norway and Denmark as major players in exploiting those resources. They remain the three top oil and gas producing nations in Europe despite their ambitious climate neutrality commitments aligned with the Paris Agreement.