"Energy giant Centrica threatened to quit its North Sea operations today over an increase in the corporation tax rate." (bron)
A while back several gas companies threatened to close North Sea gas wells when the British parlaiment suggested it would tax (take) more of the gas produced. In the mean time battle ships sailed to the Falklands to exersize rights over the oil under the island group (and the area around it, because you can drill horizontally).Argentinia didn’t want to hear of it and send the Brits away.
Today : UK Gas prices soar as pipeline is shut down
The problem with our modern fossil fuel dependent weapons technology is that you can’t use it to conquer carbon reserves if you run short. The country protecting the reserves usually has more and can project more damage than you. So like a starved lion, at a certain point you are to weak to kill anything anymore, and you starve to death. This creates a now or never mentality when it comes to retaining carbon age dominance by both the UK, US and other states. At the same time cooperating states will free up fossil fuels from any adversary that does not have allies it shares its reserves with (like Iraq and Lybia, Iran).
Today : 36 Hours of Gas left in UK
A case for Wind Heating Systems for sure. Help us build one. But in reality if gas does run out, and supplies get diverted, stopped, sabotaged etc. we will see the first of many fossil fuel shutdown panics to come. People will freeze to death. The trouble for the UK is that if it’s financial hub of London loses it’s power due to the many frauds revealed the island really has little to trade with, and will need to take care of itself. As we said before trying to transition away from fossil fuels while you have none left is the most impossible thing to do.