Rosebank oil field: UK Government will not ‘defend the indefensible’
Climate campaigners have welcomed the UK Government decision not to defend a court case challenging the approval of the Rosebank oil field taken by Greenpeace and Uplift.
Friends of the Earth Scotland just transition campaigner Rosie Hampton commented,
“Due to the enormous climate harm it will cause, Rosebank should never have been approved in the first place. It is a welcome move from the UK Government not to try and defend the indefensible act of adding more fuel to the climate fire.
“If the UK is to meet our climate commitments, then we must listen to climate scientists and stop giving permission to greedy oil companies to drill for new fields. Fossil fuels have driven the cost of living crisis so our time and money should be spent developing renewable energy and improving energy efficiency so we can bring down bills and improve lives.
“Oil workers must be at the heart of creating a credible and fair transition plan that creates secure green jobs, meets the needs of communities and scales up the industries we need for the long term.
“People power has pushed the UK Government to this decision with tens of thousands of people speaking out against this project over many years. Voters were led to believe that the Labour Government would mean a seachange in energy policy so a firm rejection of new fossil fuels must be delivered.”
ENDS
UK government will not fight Rosebank oil field legal challenge
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c30393m4z50o
The Rosebank oil and gas field is located in the North Sea, 130 kilometres off the coast of the Shetland Islands. It is the UK’s largest undeveloped oil field, containing an estimated 500 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe). Burning Rosebank’s oil and gas would produce over 200 million tonnes of CO2. These emissions are equal to more than the annual CO2 emissions of all 28 countries categorised as low-income by the World Bank combined. The field would be developed by Equinor, which holds an 80% stake, and Ithaca Energy, which holds a 20% stake.
Greenpeace and Uplift launched a legal challenge against the UK Government for their approval of the rosebank oil field, which will be heard in Scottish Courts later this year.
https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/updates/what-is-the-rosebank-oil-field
Photos from Stop Rosebank protest in Aberdeen https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjArowi
Friends of the Earth Scotland is:
* Scotland’s leading environmental campaigning organisation
* An independent Scottish charity with a network of thousands of supporters and active local groups across Scotland
* Part of the largest grassroots environmental network in the world, uniting over 2 million supporters, 73 national member groups, and 5,000 local activist groups.