Will UK pull out of energy treaty now or wait to see if low-carbon and green provisions will be woven into its fabric?

The worsening climate change conditions proclaim that there is no backing out of the energy transition journey. With this firmly entrenched in its mind, the UK is set on reviewing its Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) membership, which will enable it to consider withdrawal as an outcome of the review, if revamped terms are not agreed. These new terms, if incorporated into the multilateral treaty, would spotlight the shift to cleaner energy, making room for renewables, hydrogen, and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) in the treaty’s framework. Some believe that the UK should join the exodus from the ECT now rather than put off the decision to see if modernisation would be greenlighted.