Natalie Jones

My advice for a student hoping to get a job in climate Every month I speak to at least two or three students who have reached out to me, usually on LinkedIn, who are hoping to get a job once they graduate in the climate space. I figure for each of thes…

I very commonly get asked for my advice to current students seeking jobs in the climate space. So I wrote it up: nataliejon.es/2025/12/09/m...

What did I miss?

Update en antwoorden op Kamervragen over de exportkredietverzekeringen (ekv) voor een LNG-project in Mozambique Minister Heinen van Financiën informeert de Tweede Kamer over de exportkredietverzekeringen (ekv) voor een LNG-project in Mozambique en geeft antwoord op vragen gesteld door de Tweede Kamerleden Hirsc...

And in a lovely end to the day, the Dutch have backed out too from financing this project: www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/k...

Other governments, like the US, Netherlands, Italy and Japan must now follow suit and pull out of financing the project.

What’s more, it would not deliver any benefits for ordinary Mozambicans, with repeated studies showing it would not result in development or energy access benefits.

Many campaigners, in Mozambique and the UK, have worked on stopping this project for many years. It’s associated with tremendous human rights violations amid conflict and insurgency—and it would be a disaster for the climate.

UK to withdraw financing for Total’s Mozambique LNG project Energy chief has warned he is ready to ‘exercise all my contractual rights’ if governments do not stand by contracts

Great climate news: the UK’s publicly-backed export credit agency, UKEF, is withdrawing $1.15b in support for a hugely damaging gas project in Mozambique:

www.ft.com/content/b2ea...

Revealed: Leak casts doubt on COP30’s ‘informal list’ of fossil-fuel roadmap opponents - Carbon Brief Carbon Brief has obtained a leaked copy of the “informal list” of countries that were characterised as “blocking” the fossil-fuel roadmap’sat COP30.

🤥The #COP30 presidency said ~80 countries opposed a fossil fuel roadmap but that included 42 members of the Least Developed Countries bloc which denies taking that position. 14 countries were listed as both for and against!

🔥 investigation by @carbonbrief.org

www.carbonbrief.org/revealed-lea...

Many of us were wondering about this supposed "opposed" list during COP30. Great to have it clarified!

Notably, many of these opposing countries didn't speak out publicly/in negotiations against the roadmap idea -- perhaps not wanting to face criticism.

SCOOP: Carbon Brief has exclusively obtained a list of 84 countries "opposed" to adding a fossil-fuel roadmap to COP30 deal – but our analysis found a series of contradictions & likely errors

For eg 14 on list are also roadmap "supporters"

Read more➡️

www.carbonbrief.org/...

#Breaking | The Gov't of the UK has adopted a policy to ban new oil and gas exploration. 👏

With this plan—which includes just transition elements for workers & communities—the UK becomes the 🌎's largest producer so far to end new licensing.
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@nataliejones.bsky.social

Huge news from the UK today: after UN climate talks in which there was a massive fight over language on fossil fuels, the UK government today announced that it will in fact be keeping many millions of barrels of oil & gas in the ground. Deeds rather than just words for a change! 🧵

👀 So while all eyes were on the budget, Ministers just slipped out their North Sea Future Plan. While it’s good to see them stick to manifesto pledge not to grant new licenses, it’s a shame to see approval of “tiebacks” to existing fields - unnecessary concession that undermines climate messages

North Sea Future Plan for fair, managed and prosperous transition Government sets out plan to manage existing North Sea oil and gas fields, protect jobs and grow clean energy industries.

Speaking of the ban policy, it's just been published www.gov.uk/government/n...

So tiebacks clearly represent a minority of the impact (although, as stated above, a majority of the FIDs).

Still worth critiquing, but I wouldn't say this exemption would undermine the entire ban policy.

Additionally, since writing this earlier today I've been made aware that all possible tiebacks, if allowed, will only represent 25 million barrels of oil / 20 million boe gas - for context that's 10% of what is in Rosebank alone.

..but I wouldn't say it completely undermines the ban itself.

Additionally, while of course there is no guarantee of no reversals/relaxations in the future, we can definitely advocate for improvements & closing this loophole.

Hi Rishika, since writing this I've been made aware that there's only 25 million barrels of oil / 20 million boe of gas in all possible tiebacks - 10% of what is in the Rosebank field alone. Although tiebacks represent a majority of FIDs, they're a minority of the impact.

Still worth critiquing..

Of course, if BBC News is reporting that this will be an exception to the ban on new exploration licenses, it must mean that there will in fact be a ban, making the current moratorium permanent. That's for sure a meaningful step forward and a huge win for all those who have advocated for it.

According to data from Rystad Energy’s UCube, 30 of the 39 fields that have received an final investment decision since 2015 have been tiebacks. By creating an exemption for the type of development that is most often used, the policy would lose much of its credibility.

To take this decision would be to hand a literal license to the fossil fuel industry to carry on drilling like there's no tomorrow. The climate -- and everyone's health and safety -- can't afford that approach.

This comes less than a week after COP30, where Ed Miliband trumpeted the government's commitment to end new oil and gas licensing.

Allowing tie-backs is not in the spirit of the government's manifesto promise, and is frankly disappointing if true.

North Sea exploration rules to be relaxed in new Labour plan - BBC News The chancellor will unveil the North Sea Strategy in her Budget speech, the BBC understands.

The BBC is reporting that today the UK government will announce that restrictions on new oil and gas licenses will be relaxed.

Specifically, exploration that extends existing fields ("tie-backs") will be allowed.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Small fry in comparison but at least the text reaffirms 1.5C, and IPCC as the best available science.

Yes, this COP has been uniquely closed and opaque this last week. It's been conducted via closed-door shuttle diplomacy with next to no opportunities for parties to actually negotiate with one another directly.

Also still launches the "Belem Mission to 1.5", which still has no hooks back in to the process after it produces a report.

What this text *does* still have is the establishment of a "Global Implementation Accelerator" - and it's still unclear what that is.

This text steps back from the clear signals needed to guide the transition away from fossil fuels. It leaves a critical gap at the very moment countries need direction.

The Dubai commitment stands, but what we need now is a plan to deliver it.

If this is the final outcome of COP30, it is a punch in the gut to all those nations most vulnerable to rising seas and ever-increasing heat. Without meaningful action on the main cause of climate change, COP30 loses all credibility.

And the mutirao text is out -- and there's no mention of a roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels. Nor of fossil fuel subsidy reform.

unfccc.int/sites/defaul...

On the fossil fuel roadmap idea, we're still waiting to see whether it will be in the final mutirao/cover decision.