Will stopping UK production reduce global emissions?

Emissions fall when demand falls. Cutting UK supply alone risks shifting production overseas instead.

If Britain still uses oil and gas, stopping production here does not stop cars, boilers, aircraft and industries consuming energy.

The largest emissions arise when oil and gas are ultimately used, so reducing demand through renewables, electrification and energy efficiency is essential. But how close to home we source our oil and gas matters too. The Government Regulator North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) estimates that, before combustion, imported liquified natural gas (LNG) creates around three times the emissions of UK-produced gas: 85 kgCO₂e compared with 28 kgCO₂e for the same amount of energy.

Both figures exclude the emissions produced when the gas is used. The difference is that LNG must first be liquefied, shipped to Britain and converted back into gas. In 2024, LNG supplied only 15% of the UK’s gas but produced 46% of the emissions associated with supplying it.

Under the North Sea Transition Deal, UK operators have exceeded targets to reduce methane flaring and offshore emissions. As a country we can set the regulatory standards under which oil and gas is produced - we have no such control over the hydrocarbons we import from other countries.