6 reasons to #StopRosebank

1. Rosebank is not compatible with a safe climate and will bust UK climate goals.

Scientists have warned time and time again that governments can't allow more new oil and gas if we want to limit global warming to 1.5C. Rosebank will bust UK climate goals and push us closer to more parts of our world becoming uninhabitable. Rosebank's oil and gas would produce more CO2 than the 28 poorest countries do in a year.

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2. It won’t lower our energy bills or make our energy supply more secure.

Oil and gas prices are set on a global market, so more domestic production simply doesn’t lower our bills. 90% of the fuel that would be extracted from Rosebank is oil, which would most likely be exported overseas. This isn’t about energy security. Even the last government admitted it.

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3. The UK public would carry almost all the costs of developing Rosebank in the form of billions in tax breaks for oil giants.

Thanks to a generous tax system, Norwegian state-owned oil giant Equinor and oil company Ithaca will pass the majority of the cost of developing the Rosebank oil field to the UK public. This means the UK public would hand over BILLIONS in tax breaks to Rosebank’s owners, just to develop the field. UK's biggest gas supplier, Equinor, makes record-breaking profits while millions are struggling to pay their energy bills.

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4. Some of Rosebank’s vast oil profits could flow to a company that operates in illegal settlements in Palestine.

The oil company behind Rosebank and Cambo, Ithaca, is majority-owned by the Delek Group. Delek has been listed by the UN amongst businesses that are facilitating and profiting from the construction and growth of Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory. The risk that profits from exploiting the North Sea may flow towards a company linked to settler colonialism in Palestine is indefensible.

"If governments are serious about the climate crisis, there can be no new investments in oil, gas and coal."

Our government is refusing to stand up to the oil and gas industry. And we're paying the cost of their inaction.

Instead of phasing out expensive fossil fuels, it is looking to open up new fields, like Jackdaw, that will do nothing to lower bills or help our energy security. All they will do is make more money for oil and gas companies, who are profiteering while causing the climate crisis. Last year, Shell made profits of £14.2 billion. Its CEO made £6.2 million.

Shell won’t stop until the UK government stops them. Freeing us from fossil fuels and moving to an affordable, less polluting energy supply requires this government to say no to companies like Shell and no to new developments like Jackdaw.

Rosebank won’t do anything to lower our energy bills, save jobs or make our energy supply more secure.

5. New fields like Rosebank won’t solve the decline of jobs in the North Sea. Only a just transition will.

The North Sea basin is in decline with jobs having halved in the last decade. New fields like Rosebank won't stem this decline - it will only delay the transition to clean energy. Instead, accelerating the development of renewable energy - and ensuring that manufacturing and other benefits are based in the UK - will deliver the jobs needed.

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6. Rosebank is right next to a marine protected area and threatens endangered species.

The marine protected area is home to many endangered and threatened species of dolphins, whales and fish. Loud drilling, seismic blasting and construction could disrupt their behaviour and even cause deaths. A major oil spill would have catastrophic impacts reaching neighbouring countries. Its pipeline would cut through a specially protected seabed which could harm clams that are some of the oldest animals on the planet.

Approving Jackdaw won't lower bills or make us 'energy indepedent.' The best way to lower bills, provide reliable and protect the climate is to insulate homes and supercharge renewable energy.

Jackdaw’s gas will do nothing to lower energy costs for UK households. The price we pay for our energy is determined by global markets, a fact this government admits. Increasing production in the North Sea will have no impact on the price as it is set globally. Jackdaw is in the top ten biggest gas fields we have left in the North Sea, but still much too small to impact the global price of gas. In fact, there’s no guarantee energy bills would be impacted even if we drained the North Sea of every drop of oil and ounce of gas.

It’s Shell’s gas, not ours. Jackdaw’s gas belongs to Shell and it can choose to sell it wherever it can get the best price. It doesn’t have to sell it cheaply to us, or even to the UK at all. Just as we entered the gas crisis at the end of last year, the UK exported unusually large amounts of gas for the time of year because the companies that own it could get a better price elsewhere.

We can and will #StopRosebank

Thousands of people across the world came together and forced Shell to pull out of the Cambo oil field in the North Sea. Campaigners have also successfully forced Equinor to pull out of or pause projects in Norway, Canada and Australia. This is proof that we can win. Through the dedicated efforts of our movement, we’ve laid the foundation for the UK government to be elected on a platform of shifting from oil and gas production to renewable energy.

We believed that the decision to approve Rosebank was not just a disaster for the climate, and morally and economically wrong, but unlawful. So we took Rosebank to court and won. The court has ruled the Rosebank oil field unlawful and its approval has been overturned. The government now has the chance to remake the decision after their oil & gas consultation concludes in spring. The key is to make as much noise as possible to make sure that they make the right decision to reject Rosebank.

By pushing back on every front against this field, together we can delay, block and eventually stop this field. From direct action to legal pressure, political lobbying to media scrutiny, local community outreach to online actions - every act counts.There are many ways for you to help #StopRosebank.

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Why #StopRosebank?

Despite warnings from climate scientists and experts, the Rosebank oil field - the biggest undeveloped field in the UK - was approved by the Tory government.