Jeremy Corbyn has urged Boris Johnson to ban fracking ahead of joining protesters opposed to the controversial process of gas extraction.
The Labour leader warned that fracking, the method of shale gas extraction through hydraulic fracturing underground, will have damaging effects on the environment.
Labour says if the UK fully exploits its shale gas reserves, the amount of carbon released would “eliminate any hope of the government meeting its 2050 net-zero target”.
Corbyn said: “We need urgent action to tackle the climate emergency, and that means the prime minister immediately banning fracking once and for all.
“Instead of bending the knee to a few corporations who profit from extracting fossil fuels from the ground, we need to change course now.
“It’s the next generation and the world’s poorest who will pay the price if this Conservative government continues to put the interests of a few polluters ahead of people.
“Tackling the climate emergency cannot be left to the free market.
“Labour will ban fracking and our Green Industrial Revolution will face the climate emergency head-on and leave no community behind, transforming our country’s energy supply and creating 400,000 good, well-paid jobs across the country.”
Earlier this year, the government’s guidance on fracking was ruled unlawful in the High Court for failing to take into account the latest scientific evidence.
Corbyn will travel to Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site to protest against fracking which has caused a series of earthquakes in the area.
Chris Stark, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change, said: “We’ve been very clear. Fracking is not compatible with the UK carbon targets unless three tough tests are met.
“Fracking should displace gas that we would otherwise have to import, it must meet the UK’s tight environmental regulations including close monitoring of emissions during production, and additional onshore emissions must be accommodated within the UK’s carbon targets.
“The UK’s new ‘net-zero’ law makes the last of these tests even tougher.”
A spokesperson for the department for business, energy and industrial strategy said: “Independent climate experts have recognised that natural gas has a role to play as we meet our 2050 net zero emissions target—now firmly set in law.
“Exploring the potential of a new domestic energy source is not only compatible with these world-leading climate goals, it could also deliver substantial economic benefits, through the creation of well paid, high-quality jobs.”