Will help with increasing our security over energy supplies.......not suggesting nationalisation but from previous reports 40% of North Sea oil went to domestic UK consumption. Wasn't it the UK and US that undermined the Iranian nationalisation which lead to the creation of BP even though Labour had a policy of nationalisation of UK resources.
Yes we still need to have a clean energy policy and clean up our act, but I do smile that all the massive wind farms we have dotted around the coast energy generation is feed onshore by cables...which are open to sabotage and when we don't have enough Naval assets currently to protect them it all becomes laughable. One could say the same for the North Sea oil being bought on shore are open to similar attack.
We have yet to find ways of replacing hydrocarbon produced plastics to eg bring your milk home from the shops.......just little practical everyday things like that, that the type of power generation wont solve. We can use glass again but that's a very energy intensive industry..........but a glass car dashboard may have a few safety issues.......people seem to lose sight of the extensive use of hydrocarbons in everyday life...it doesn't just fuel vehicles or our central heating......our everyday dependance on hydrocarbons today goes way beyond energy sources.
Approximately 98% to 99% of all plastics produced globally are derived from fossil-based hydrocarbons, primarily crude oil and natural gas.
Key details regarding plastic production feedstocks include:
Fossil Fuel Dependence: Almost all conventional plastics are made from petrochemicals, which are refined from fossil hydrocarbons.
Source Breakdown: According to a 2022 analysis, the feedstock for virgin plastics is approximately 40% petroleum, 8% natural gas, and 44% coal, with the remainder from other sources.
Bio-plastics Share: Plastics produced from renewable biomass (bio-plastics) make up only a very small fraction of the market, estimated at less than 1% to 2% of total production.
Production Volume: Over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually.
Future Trends: Despite the push for green energy, petrochemical production (and thus plastic production) is expected to grow and account for almost half of the growth in oil demand by 2050.
Thats why I don't buy the current governments propaganda agenda which only focus on fuel/energy use of hydrocarbons.........which ignores everyday life plastics need, While the UK plastics industry processes roughly 3.5 million tonnes of material, it only produces about 1.8 million tonnes, heavily relying on imports to meet total demand............again an issue of resource security...unless you think you can use cupped hands etc to get your milk or whatever home from the shop.
Last edited by JohnHarris; 26/03/26 07:03 PM.
