“New oil is over"
Climate campaigners have welcomed the verdict in the Rosebank and Jackdaw court case taken by Uplift and Greenpeace.
Environmentalists say the UK and Scottish Governments must now turn to planning a just transition for workers and communities affected by the end of fossil fuel production in the UK.
The Scottish Court of Session agreed that the emissions caused by burning Rosebank’s oil should have been taken into account during its approval.
The Rosebank oil and gas field lies west of Shetland, operated by Equinor and Ithacar Energy.
Equinor and Ithaca would need to resubmit a new application, which now accounts for these emissions, if they still want to develop the project.
The Hon Lord Ericht’s ruling states that ‘the private interest of members of the public in climate change outweigh the private interest of the developers’.
Friends of Earth Scotland oil and gas campaigner Freya Aitchison said: “New oil is over. This signals the beginning of the end for fossil fuel production in the UK. Political attention must immediately turn to developing an urgent and fair transition plan for workers.
“This is a momentous victory for climate justice. It shows the power of the hundreds of thousands of people who have fought against the climate-wrecking Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields for years. The UK Government must now end this disastrous project, rule out all new fossil fuel developments and focus on delivering a properly planned and funded transition for oil workers.
“Our energy future must be built on affordable, reliable renewable energy that is run in the public interest. The skills and experience of oil workers must be at the heart of a transition that creates secure green jobs, meets the needs of communities and scales up the industries we can rely on for the long term.”
“Climate breakdown is all around us and we know fossil fuels are causing it. Those arguing for ever more oil are only arguing for more storms like Eowyn, more fires like Los Angeles, and more floods like Valencia. This ruling is a turning point, we can and must choose a better future.”
