Protected Carbon in United Kingdom

Affected Areas

These protected areas in United Kingdom contain current or planned fossil fuel projects. Oil, gas, and coal extraction in protected areas harms their natural value while contributing to climate change.

  • Fossil Fuel Type
  • Affected Area
  • Oil & Gas
  • Dogger Bank
  • Oil & Gas
  • Dorset
  • Oil & Gas
  • Duncton To Bignor Escarpment
  • Oil & Gas
  • East Of Gannet And Montrose Fields
  • Oil & Gas
  • Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt
  • Oil & Gas
  • Fulmar
  • Oil & Gas
  • Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton
  • Oil & Gas
  • High Weald
  • Oil & Gas
  • Holderness Offshore
  • Oil & Gas
  • Howardian Hills
  • Oil & Gas
  • Isle Of Wight
  • Oil & Gas
  • Levin Down
  • Oil & Gas
  • Limpsfield Common
  • Oil & Gas
  • Lincolnshire Wolds
  • Oil & Gas
  • Liverpool Bay / Bae Lerpwl
  • Oil & Gas
  • Markham'S Triangle
  • Oil & Gas
  • Millington Wood And Pastures
  • Oil & Gas
  • North Anglesey Marine / Gogledd Mon Forol
  • Oil & Gas
  • North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef
  • Oil & Gas
  • North York Moors
  • Oil & Gas
  • North-East Faroe-Shetland Channel
  • Oil & Gas
  • Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain
  • Oil & Gas
  • Nostell Brickyard Quarry
  • Oil & Gas
  • Oakers Wood
  • Oil & Gas
  • Potteric Carr
  • Oil & Gas
  • Purbeck
  • Oil & Gas
  • Redgate Woods And Mansey Common
  • Oil & Gas
  • Shirley Pool
  • Oil & Gas
  • Solent and Dorset Coast
  • Oil & Gas
  • South Downs
  • Oil & Gas
  • Southbourne Rough
  • Oil & Gas
  • Southern North Sea
  • Oil & Gas
  • Surrey Hills
  • Oil & Gas
  • The Barra Fan And Hebrides Terrace Seamount
  • Oil & Gas
  • West of Scotland
  • Oil & Gas
  • West Of Walney
  • Oil & Gas
  • Winfrith Heath

Extraction Data

This table shows a summary of potential emissions from fossil fuel extraction projects in protected areas in United Kingdom (including projects that are currently extracting, planned or idled).

  • Fossil Fuel Type
  • Fossil Fuel Quantity
  • CO2 Quantity (MT CO2e)
  • Oil & Gas
  • 1,389.92 MMBOE
  • 581.82
  • Coal
  • 0.00
  • 0.00
  • Combined
  • 581.82

Deposits Data

This table shows a summary of potential emissions from fossil fuel deposits under protected areas in United Kingdom. Many of these are not yet the target of any industry activities and could more easily become part of a non-extraction policy.

  • Fossil Fuel Type
  • CO2 Quantity (MT CO2e)
  • Oil & Gas
  • 2,869.28
  • Coal
  • 55,796.43
  • Combined
  • 58,665.71

Early Warnings

This table shows untouched protected areas that have planned carbon extraction projects, along with their respective startup dates.

  • Affected Area
  • Startup Date
  • North York Moors
  • 2026
  • High Weald
  • 2032
  • North-East Faroe-Shetland Channel
  • 2032
  • Duncton To Bignor Escarpment
  • 2033
  • Liverpool Bay / Bae Lerpwl
  • 2034
  • Dorset
  • 2035
  • Howardian Hills
  • 2035
  • Isle Of Wight
  • 2035
  • Lincolnshire Wolds
  • 2035
  • Nostell Brickyard Quarry
  • 2036
  • Solent and Dorset Coast
  • 2038
  • Limpsfield Common
  • 2039
  • Potteric Carr
  • 2039
  • Shirley Pool
  • 2039
  • Southbourne Rough
  • 2039
  • Millington Wood And Pastures
  • 2042
  • West of Scotland
  • 2042
  • Winfrith Heath
  • 2042
  • North Anglesey Marine / Gogledd Mon Forol
  • 2054
  • The Barra Fan And Hebrides Terrace Seamount
  • 2076

Profiting Companies

  • Fossil Fuel Type
  • Profiting Company
  • Oil & Gas
  • Alpha Energy Holdings
  • Oil & Gas
  • Altwood Petroleum
  • Oil & Gas
  • Archean Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • Ardent Oil
  • Oil & Gas
  • Athena Exploration
  • Oil & Gas
  • BP
  • Oil & Gas
  • CalEnergy Resources
  • Oil & Gas
  • Capricorn Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • Centrica Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • CNOOC
  • Oil & Gas
  • Comtrack Ventures
  • Oil & Gas
  • ConocoPhillips
  • Oil & Gas
  • Corfe Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • Cornerstone Oil and Gas Ltd
  • Oil & Gas
  • Cuadrilla Resources
  • Oil & Gas
  • Delek Group
  • Oil & Gas
  • Deltic Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • Dess Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • Egdon (UK)
  • Oil & Gas
  • EIG Partners
  • Oil & Gas
  • Energean Oil & Gas
  • Oil & Gas
  • ENGIE E&P
  • Oil & Gas
  • Eni
  • Oil & Gas
  • Equinor
  • Oil & Gas
  • Europa Oil and Gas
  • Oil & Gas
  • ExxonMobil
  • Oil & Gas
  • First Oil
  • Oil & Gas
  • Gas Plus
  • Oil & Gas
  • GAS-UNION GMBH
  • Oil & Gas
  • Gazprom
  • Oil & Gas
  • Hague and London Oil Plc
  • Oil & Gas
  • Harbour Energy plc
  • Oil & Gas
  • Hartshead Resources NL
  • Oil & Gas
  • Hibiscus Petroleum
  • Oil & Gas
  • Horizon Energy Partners
  • Oil & Gas
  • Humber Oil and Gas
  • Oil & Gas
  • Ineos Group
  • Oil & Gas
  • Infinis
  • Oil & Gas
  • IOG
  • Oil & Gas
  • ISO (UK)
  • Oil & Gas
  • Ithaca Energy (Delek Group)
  • Oil & Gas
  • Kistos
  • Oil & Gas
  • KNOC/Dana
  • Oil & Gas
  • Montrose Industries
  • Oil & Gas
  • NEO Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • Neptune Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • ONE-Dyas
  • Oil & Gas
  • Open acreage
  • Oil & Gas
  • Painted Wolf Resources
  • Oil & Gas
  • Parkmead Group
  • Oil & Gas
  • Perenco
  • Oil & Gas
  • Petrichor Energy UK Limited
  • Oil & Gas
  • Petrogas
  • Oil & Gas
  • Ping Petroleum
  • Oil & Gas
  • Premier Oil
  • Oil & Gas
  • Reabold Resources
  • Oil & Gas
  • Reach Halibut
  • Oil & Gas
  • Relinquished
  • Oil & Gas
  • Repsol
  • Oil & Gas
  • Serica Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • Shell
  • Oil & Gas
  • Sinopec Group (parent)
  • Oil & Gas
  • Spirit Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • Star Energy Group
  • Oil & Gas
  • Tangram Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • Terrain Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • TotalEnergies
  • Oil & Gas
  • Tullow Oil
  • Oil & Gas
  • UK Oil & Gas
  • Oil & Gas
  • Union Jack Oil
  • Oil & Gas
  • United Oil & Gas
  • Oil & Gas
  • Vaar Energi
  • Oil & Gas
  • Viaro Energy
  • Oil & Gas
  • Waldorf Production
  • Oil & Gas
  • Warwick Expl & Prod
  • Oil & Gas
  • Wintershall Dea

Map

Sources

  • Protected Areas: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas. October 2023.
  • Oil & gas extraction: Rystad Energy, U Cube Upstream Oil and Natural Gas Solution. October 2023.
  • Coal extraction: Global Energy Monitor, Global Coal Mine Tracker. October 2023.
  • CO2 equivalencies: Kühne, Kjell, Big numbers for bold activists: A quick method for estimating potential emissions of fossil fuel projects. Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 79, September 2021.
  • Reserves & resources: German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), German and Global Energy Supplies. 2021.

Disclaimer

This page was created using the best data available. Despite this, errors and omissions are likely. Please contact our team with any errors or confirmation requests you may have. Further information on sources and methodology is available on our data page.