What’s going on here?
The Court of Session in Edinburgh announced this morning that the approval of the Rosebank oilfield (the biggest undeveloped oil and gas field in the North Sea) was unlawful and has overturned its approval. This is a huge win for activists who have been campaigning against the oilfield since 2022. Equinor and Ithaca energy, the owners of Rosebank, will now not be able to drill for oil and gas unless they reapply for consent to drill, and account for the huge carbon emissions they would generate by burning Rosebank’s oil.
What does that mean?
Until recently, oil and gas fields in the UK could get the green light without having to account for the emissions that would be created from burning the fossil fuels they produced. Thanks to a landmark case in England in 2024, these ‘scope 3 emissions’ now need to be considered. This means projects like Rosebank that emit huge amounts of carbon should no longer be viable. The court ruling explicitly stated that preventing the climate crisis was more important than the financial interests of the developers:
“The public interest in authorities acting lawfully and the private interest of members of the public in climate change outweigh the private interest of the developers.”
Why should we care?
Rosebank being deemed unlawful is a huge win for the climate, and is massive progress in the fight for a just transition away from fossil fuels. Victories like this also set legal precedents that mean it will get harder and harder for fossil fuel companies to get approval for new oil and gas projects.
However, oil and gas companies really, really want to keep extracting fossil fuels. The court ruling means that Rosebank’s owners, Equinor and Ithaca energy, can continue “preparatory work” on the field, but cannot extract any oil and gas. They can also reapply for approval to open the field with a new Environmental Impact Assessment. The UK government is currently considering guidance on how to factor scope 3 emissions into applications for oil and gas licences – a process which should be finished by Spring 2025. This means that if Equinor and Ithaca energy reapply for approval, the UK government will have the option to reject the application. An appeal against the court’s decision could also be logged by either of Rosebank’s owners. Public pressure is still vital to ensure that Rosebank is rejected for good, but this victory is a huge step on that journey.
Be Curious!
- Share this news far and wide, to make public opposition to Rosebank front page news.
- Equinor and Ithaca might reapply for approval in Spring 2025 – be prepared to help stop Rosebank for good if this happens by joining the campaign against Rosebank.
- If you’re in the UK, let your local MP know that you oppose Rosebank, and think they should too.
- Keep the good news going by reading about other wins against fossil fuel projects in the UK.
Feature image by Oliver Goulden.
