Trump’s Call for UK to Drill in North Sea Underscores Industry Warnings Against Net-Zero Agenda

One oil executive says the U.S. president’s comments may be ‘provocative,’ but the UK’s current policies are crippling jobs, investment, and energy security.

A gas flare burns at the Shetland Gas Plant during its inauguration in the Shetlands, Scotland, on May 16, 2016. Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images

For half a century, the North Sea was the heart of one of the world’s most productive energy industries, before Britain turned its back on fossil fuels in favor of renewables, but now, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would like to see drilling restart.

Trump’s message underscores industry warnings about the economic “vulnerability” of the UK, which industry participants say is created by net-zero policies.