1. The issue

In another instance of ill-advised Tory bluster, PM Rishi Sunak chose this week—amid the extreme climate events affecting Europe and North America the summer—to announce his government’s plan to expand drilling practices in the North Sea, by authorising ‘hundreds’ of new licences to tap UK oil and gas reserves.

In comments made to the media on his visit to a Shell gas terminal in Aberdeen, Scotland on Monday, Sunak stated: ‘My view is we should max out the opportunities that we have here in the North Sea, because that’s good for our energy security.’

2. The language

The media naturally seized on Sunak’s use of the superlative ‘max out’ to describe the full extent to which his government means to pursue the extraction of these resources.

With headline spin, the phrase suggests the British government means to exploit as much of these fossil fuels as it possibly can, effectively signaling a disregard for their own carbon emission targets.

3. The facts

The UK’s climate action is not yet meeting the policy standards required by the Paris Agreement—but its efforts are categorised by the Climate Action Tracker as ‘almost sufficient’.

The UK ranks second on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) compiled by Yale University, which indicates the countries ‘best addressing the environmental challenges that every nation faces’. It ranks seventh on MIT’s Green Future Index (GFI), which scores nations ‘on their ability to develop a sustainable, low-carbon future’.

To put this in perspective, Canada—perceived as a ‘green’ country due to its abundant natural resources—is failing on climate action, and ranks 49th on the EPI and 14th on the GFI.

4. The debate

Climate activists and the Labour and Green parties are against the drilling policy.

Sunak claims the policy will strengthen the UK’s energy independence: ‘25% of our energy will come from oil and gas, even in 2050. Far better that we get that from here at home: better for the economy, better for our energy security, better for jobs and better for climate emissions rather than shipping it here.’

As for the claim that British energy production is cleaner than importing it, on balance UK gas extraction has been found to have lower carbon intensity than imports, while its oil and gas platforms have been found to produce relatively high emissions. Norway, the main current supplier of oil and gas to the UK, is a cleaner energy producer due to its sustainable hydropower industry and its banning of flaring 50 years ago.

Following Sunak’s call to review low-emission traffic zones days ago, the PM’s Conservative critics argue the drilling policy is backwards and badly timed, given the Tories’ poor performance in recent by-elections.

5. The lesson

Sunak’s ‘max out’ soundbite is tone-deaf and clouds public understanding of the drilling policy aims, making the government sound anti-environmental.

As superlative rhetoric, its force undermines the government’s global reputation as a leader on climate change, and further jeapordises their standing with British voters heading into a general election.