Zack Polanski has joined over 250 organisations - including RSPB, Amnesty International UK and Friends of the Earth Scotland - in warning the Prime Minister against caving in to Big Oil.
Read the full letter below:
Dear Prime Minister,
We, the undersigned, are writing to urge your government to reject the controversial Rosebank oil field.
Rosebank is a defining test of this government’s credibility on climate change. This enormous oil field would produce more CO2 than the annual emissions of the 700 million people living in the world’s poorest countries produce in a year.
Rosebank’s vast emissions make it incompatible with UK climate commitments. The scientific evidence is clear that there is no room for new North Sea oil and gas projects if we are to stay within the thresholds set out in the Paris Agreement, to which the UK is a signatory.
Beyond this, Rosebank is a very bad deal for the UK – it won’t lower bills and would do almost nothing to boost energy security, given that most of it is oil destined for export. Its minimal gas reserves have the potential to cut our gas import dependency by, on average, just 1% a year (under the most favourable conditions and if no gas is exported).
Worse, Rosebank could lead to a net tax loss of over £250 million to the UK Treasury thanks to the enormous tax breaks for new drilling in the UK. This is economic lunacy, when the field’s owners Equinor and Ithaca would earn an estimated £1.5 billion in profit, most of which would go to the Norwegian state, Equinor’s majority owners.
More worrying is that, if approved, Rosebank could see nearly a quarter of a billion pounds flow to a company that is contributing to human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory. Delek Group, which operates in illegal Israeli settlements and is known to provide fuel to the Israeli military, is the majority-owner of Ithaca Energy, Rosebank’s co-owner. Delek Group is on the UN database of companies involved in business activities that give rise to human rights violations against Palestinians.
In the midst of a climate crisis that is already bringing record heat, wildfires, flooding and drought to the UK and beyond, this Labour government must not cave into the pro-oil and gas agenda of politicians who doubt the science of climate change and want to hold back our renewable energy industry and its thousands of jobs.
Your government has rightly committed to prioritising clean energy and a fair transition for workers and communities. Approving Rosebank risks sending contradictory signals to investors, undermining the confidence and capital needed to deliver the UK’s clean power goal, locking us into more high-carbon infrastructure, and undermining the UK’s reputation for climate leadership, which is more vital today than ever.
Prime Minister, this is your government’s opportunity to show the UK – and the world – that it will put people and the planet before polluters’ profits.
We call on your Labour government to do the right thing and reject Rosebank.
Sincerely,
Stop Rosebank
Amnesty International UK
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
RSPB
The Wildlife Trusts
Scottish Wildlife Trust
Friends of the Earth Scotland
Friends of the Earth (EWNI)
Greenpeace UK
The Climate Coalition
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland
Community Energy Scotland
Future Economy Scotland
Quakers in Britain
Weald Action Group
Fuel Poverty Action
Living Rent
350.org
Adfree Cities
A Rocha UK
Artists for Palestine UK
Avaaz
Awel Amen Tawe
Badvertising
BankTrack
Biofuelwatch
Black2Nature
Campaign against Climate Change
Christian Climate Action
Christians for Palestine
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
Climate Choir Movement
Climate Clock
Climate Cymru
Climate Emergency UK
Climate Insights
Climate Justice Coalition
Culture Declares Emergency
Culture Unstained
Eco Action Families
Energy Embargo for Palestine
Equity for a Green New Deal
Faith for the Climate
Force of Nature
Friends of al Aqsa
Global Justice Now
Global Witness
Green Christian
Green New Deal Rising
Green Rider
Hope for the Future
Laudato Si' Movement
Mothers Climate Action Network
Mothers Rebellion UK
Mothers Rise Up
MP Watch
New Weather Institute
Ocean Rebellion
Oil Change International
Open Seas
Operation Noah
Parents for Future UK
Peace Point Development Foundation-PPDF
Positive Money
Possible
Protect Our Winters UK
ReCommon
Scientists for Extinction Rebellion
Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR)
Stamp Out Poverty
Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS-UK)
Surfers Against Sewage
Sustainable Entertainment
Tax Justice UK
The Working Class Climate Alliance
Tipping Point UK
UK Methane Campaign
UK Youth Climate Coalition
War on Want
Women's Environmental Network
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom UK
Zero Hour
Bruntsfield Area Net Zero Action Initiative
Christian Climate Action Scotland
Clean Heat Edinburgh Forum
Climate Camp Scotland
Common Weal
Creating a Sustainable Gryffe
Divest Lothian
East Lothian Climate Action Network
Eco-Congregation Scotland
Edinburgh Campaign Against Arms Trade
Edinburgh Climate Coalition
Edinburgh Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee
Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS)
Extinction Rebellion Edinburgh and Lothians
Extinction Rebellion Glasgow
Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee (Glasgow)
Glasgow Greenpeace
Glasgow Palestine Human Rights Campaign
Global Justice Dundee
Global Justice Now Ayrshire
Global Justice Now Scotland
Global Justice Stirling
Highland People's Power Society Ltd
Justice & Peace Scotland
Lighthouse - Edinburgh's Radical Bookshop
Mothers Against Genocide Scotland
North Sea Knitters
Parents For Future Scotland
Peace & Justice - Scotland
Propagate Scotland
Quakers in Scotland
Scotland’s International Development Alliance
Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund
Scottish Communities Climate Action Network
Scottish Fair Trade
Secure Scotland
Shetland Stop Rosebank
Sustaining Dunbar
Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust
Transition Edinburgh
Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland
Young Friends of the Earth Scotland
Young Sea Changers Scotland
Actors Equity
Greenpeace Norway
HERO
Natur og Ungdom (Young Friends of the Earth Norway)
Naturvernforbundet - Friends of the Earth Norway
Inicjatywa Wschód
Another Europe is Possible
Besteforeldrenes klimaaksjon (Grandparents' Climate Campaign Norway)
The Climate Reality Project Europe
The Climate Reality Project América Latina
Peace Point Development Foundation
Architects Climate Action Network
AMTeC Heritage Science CIC
Anglesy Sea Zoo
Banbury CAG
Barrow Greener Living
Brighton and Hove Organic Gardening Group
Bristol and South Gloucestershire Circuit of the Methodist Church
Cardiff Quakers
Carbon Neutral Cambridge
CDE Wharfedale and Airedale
Church of the Annunciation
Climate Action Durham
Climate and Community
Climate Collective Oxford
Climate Friendly Bradford-on-Avon
Climate Resilience Centre Worthing
Climate Shop
Clynfyw Care Farm
Croydon Climate Action
Croydon Community Energy
Croydon Green Network
Croydon Vegetarians & Vegans
Datblygiadau Egni Gwledig
Datblygiadau Egni Gwledig
Deep Adaptation
Degrowth London
Derbyshire Climate Coalition
EcoBerko
Ecojustice Ireland
Egni Cooperative
EKOenergy Ecolabel
Energy Group of Hope Valley Climate Action
Extinction Rebellion Leicester
Extinction Rebellion Reading
Extinction Rebellion Sheffield
Extinction Rebellion Shrewsbury
Extinction Rebellion Tyneside
Extinction Rebellion York
Fern Culture
Ffynnone Community Resilience
Fossil Free London
Fossil Free Shropshire
Fossil Free Southwark
Fossil Free West Yorkshire
Full Circle Project
Global Justice Bradford
Global Justice Cambridge
Global Justice Macclesfield
Global Justice Now Gloucestershire
Global Justice Reading
Global Justice Sheffield
Global Justice York
Green Squirrel
GreenNet
Greenpeace Birmingham
Greenpeace Merseyside
Greenpeace Norwich
Greener Hassocks and Ditchling
Greening Steyning, Bramber & Beeding
Gwyrddni
Happy Hounds Bristol
Hay Public Library
Hope Valley Climate Action
Horfield Methodist Church
How the Earth Thinks
Huddersfield Friends of the Earth
Hull and East Riding Friends of the Earth
Nailsea Climate Emergency Group
Nature Over Natter
Norwich Friends of the Earth
Paperboats.org
Parents For Future - Cambridge and Ely
Parents For Future - East London
Parents For Future Derbyshire Dales
Parents For Future Herts & Bucks
Parents For Future Manchester
Parents for Future Oxfordshire
Parents For Future Sheffield
Parents for Future West London
Parents for Future York
Parents for the Future Reading and East Berkshire
Parents for Future Leicestershire
Parents for Future Stroud
Re-set: Platform for Socio-Ecological Transformation
Rethrindle CIC
Sheffield Action on Plastic
Sheffield Central Quaker Meeting
South East Climate Alliance
South East London Parents for Future
St Barnabas, Knowle West
Sustainable Exercise Partnership
Stop Rosebank Bristol
Stop Rosebank Sheffield
Sustainable Kirtlington
Sustainable Thornton Heath
Sustainable Wales
Sustainable Woodstock
Sussex Green Living
The Coproduction Network for Wales
The Green Runners
The Green Stationery Company
Tir Natur
Tir Pontypridd
Transition Horsham
Trawsnewid Llandrindod Transition
Wanstead Climate Action
Wild Card
Will Works
Worthing Climate Action Network
Writers Rebel
XR Cardigan
XR Dacorum
Yorkshire and Humber Climate Justice Coalition
Young Wilders
Rt Rev Andrew Rumsey, Bishop of Ramsbury
Rt Rev Rob Saner-Haigh, Bishop of Carlisle
Rt Rev Dr Martin Gainsborough, Bishop of Kingston