You could argue that the net worth of the country has just risen by up to $5 trillion. On that basis, it would be foolish to leave it unexploited. You could also argue that we have just discovered 30 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. On that basis, it would be foolish to exploit it.
Peter Hewson, Eye, Suffolk
No. We need to look at the bigger picture. Those who still crave fossil fuels are short-sighted and hungry for a quick buck.
Emily Cheung, Hemel Hempstead
Absolutely. The alternative to exploiting it is for us to buy more from countries with politically dubious regimes.
Rob English, Camberley, Surrey
Yes. Alternative technologies supply only a small percentage of the energy that Britain uses. This is unlikely to change for a few decades. In the meantime, it is better to use natural reserves that are close to home.
Dave King, Bagshot, Surrey
As some people think it is acceptable to frack the ‘desolate’ north of England, yes, let’s pump the black gold from beneath the south-east of England.
Anonymous
Britain will not wean itself off oil for the foreseeable future. So increasing energy independence, removing the environmental impact of sea freight, creating jobs, and improving the balance of payments can only be a good thing.
Iain Morris, Texas, US
No. The answer’s in the question.
Stewart Brown, St Andrews, Fife
Climate change is inevitable as long as the global population continues its inexorable growth. Sussex oil will make life more bearable and, I hope, provide funding to tackle the real issues causing our planet to expose us to greater extremes of weather.
Geoff Miles, Poole, Dorset
I have no problem with the continued search for oil deposits. The use of fracking to extract any deposits is harmful to the environment. But as these deposits are under Sussex, drilling will never take place – for political reasons.
Steve Collinge, Derby
In the timescale that we will continue to be dependent on fossil fuels, we have no real alternative but to follow up opportunities for increasing our energy self-sufficiency.
Jon King, Alcester, Warwickshire
We are still dependent on fossil fuels, so this is a welcome find. Maybe we should be looking to invest more capital in carbon-capture technologies, alongside renewable energy sources, to aid the transition.
Adam Preece, Oxfordshire
No. We know how to manage without and should be doing so, as opposed to the easy, lazy route of doing more of what we know, which damages the planet.
Steve Napper, Harrogate
Yes, unless we are prepared to live in conditions similar to the Stone Age.
William Brown, Thurso
No. The more resources spent on extracting fossil fuels, the less there are available to develop alternative energy sources. Surely that’s a no-brainer?
Stephen Henderson, Birmingham
There seems to be an assumption that in any change of climate, the UK will ‘benefit’ by being warmer. But we might end up colder, or have more extremes of weather. It would be an advantage to have as much as possible of our energy sources under our own control.
Geoff Buck, Devon
We have an earth capable of absorbing many times more carbon dioxide than we can produce. The sea loves it. The algae thrive on it. We still cannot prove global warming is due to the emissions.
Derek Brighton, Rochester, Kent
The scientific evidence is overwhelming that there is no man-made climate change. Global temperatures have remained static for 18 years, sea ice is at a record maximum, sea levels have not increased, and weather has become less extreme. It is time to abandon this junk science.
Philip Hardy, Toddington, Bedfordshire
Yes. In the short term, we need it to keep the country from descending into anarchy. In the long term, the human race is sleep-walking into its own destruction, and no amount of hand-wringing on the sidelines is going to stop it.
Robin Stafford Allen, Oxford
I would rather see the development of a new generation of nuclear capability.
Simon Cotton, Lincolnshire