Oil in troubled waters

Channel 4 News reported this evening that the UK government is minded to approve an application for oil and gas exploration in the Moray Firth.

This seems to me utterly bonkers. The area concerned is in a Special Area of Conservation due the unique colony of bottlenose dolphins which exist there. They are the most northerly colony in the world and already face significant threats. The Channel 4 report indicated that the dolphins could be particularly affected by the noise of explosions connected with seismic research.

If like me you think this is an outrageous proposal, then you still have time to do something about it. The consultation period on the plans continues until March, so if you want to have your say, then click here.