British government ministers are considering a dramatic change of policy for the North Sea oil industry off the coast of Scotland, which could have a major environmental impact as well as affect political relations between the central government and Scottish independence supporters.
Since the discovery of significant resources under the sea in 1970, the oilfield has produced a significant amount of the United Kingdom's fossil fuels, as well as being a major source of employment, with around 39 percent of the UK's 270,000 oil industry jobs being in Scotland.
But with policy increasingly turning toward greener energy, and Glasgow hosting the COP26 conference later in the year, the Daily Telegraph reports the government is thinking of stopping the issue of new exploration licenses.
