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• More than 65 scientists warn against expanding North Sea drilling
• New fields unlikely to cut bills or improve energy security
• Debate deepens as political pressure builds for domestic production

More than 65 leading scientists have stepped into the North Sea oil and gas debate, urging the UK government to hold its ground on limiting new drilling and instead double down on renewable energy. Their warning comes at a time when rising global energy prices — driven partly by tensions in the Middle East — have reignited calls for boosting domestic fossil fuel production.

In an open letter, the group challenged both the economic and environmental case for expanding drilling. They argued that the UK already has access to cheaper and more reliable alternatives. “As climate scientists, we urge leaders to look to the cheaper solutions we have already, that we know work,” they wrote, as quoted in a news report.