BBC Documentaries

Black Black Oil (2021x123)

Air date: Nov 01, 2021

North Sea oil has been an invisible machine at the core of the UK. It now faces an uncertain future as activists and investors demand change. Is the era of North Sea oil over? This documentary draws on the voices of young activists, oil company executives, economists and pension fund managers to explore the vital questions that affect all our lives. We have 5-10 years to control our oil addiction, and yet the licensing of new oil fields such as the Cambo oil field off Shetland is seen to be in direct contradiction to the government’s alignment with the Paris Climate Agreement and hosting of COP. There is also a look at how the drama of global climate action is playing out in the fight over North Sea oil. Oil companies are convinced that they can continue to keep drilling while keeping to net zero ambitions through adopting new technologies, such as carbon capture. But climate scientists are deeply sceptical of the net zero concept and the time it would take for these technologies to be effective.