Soundtrack to this post.
It’s been a strange year to be told we need more oil. We’ve had a summer of heatwaves, wildfires and drought, and the government has just approved the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.
Next on the desk is Rosebank. It’s the UK’s biggest undeveloped oil field, sitting 80 miles north west of Shetland, and the decision hasn’t been made yet. That matters, because it means there’s still time to say something.
The numbers are hard to ignore. Rosebank is estimated to hold more than 480 million barrels of oil, and some estimates suggest it would release emissions totalling 254 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent over its lifetime. And the argument that we need it to keep bills down doesn’t really hold up either: opponents point out that 90% of reserves are oil destined for international markets, and that its small gas reserves could cut UK gas import dependency by just 1%, even if none were exported.
The decision sits with Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, and there will be a lot of pressure on her from the industry to wave it through. Greenpeace UK has set up a page where you can email her directly and ask her to reject it. It takes a minute or two.
If you live up here in Scotland, this one is especially close to home. But it’s a decision for all of us, and a short email is an easy thing to do.
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