We’re going to court
to #StopRosebank

The Rosebank oil field is not compatible with a safe climate or liveable future. Together we can stop this project.

Last September, the previous UK government approved the development of the controversial Rosebank oil field. Rosebank is not compatible with a safe climate or liveable future.

We believe that this decision is not just a disaster for climate, and morally and economically wrong, but unlawful. Claims that drilling Rosebank is compatible with the UK’s obligations and a safe climate don't add up - and we will prove it in court.

Thanks to a historic decision taken by the Supreme Court in the recent Finch case, oil and gas companies will now have to disclose the full extent of the emissions created by new fossil fuel projects, like Rosebank. If, in the case against Rosebank, the judge agrees that the emissions from burning its oil should have been taken into account, the decision will have to be remade.

The UK government has already made the decision not to defend the case. This is now a straight fight between a liveable future and oil and gas industry profits - and we’re more confident than ever that we’ll win.

‍There are not just one, but two cases to #StopRosebank, one by Uplift, the other by Greenpeace UK. Both will be heard in the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

The cases will argue that:

  • The government failed to assess the emissions generated from burning Rosebank’s oil
  • The government failed to adequately assess the marine impacts of Rosebank
  • Rosebank is not compatible with the UK’s own plan for a safe climate
  • It’s not enough for the government to just say that it's compatible, it needs to prove it

The case is being supported by over 10,000 individuals and groups such as 350.org, Extinction Rebellion, Oceana and WWF.

SEE SUPPORTers

Timeline

Sept 2023
UK government approves Rosebank oil field
Dec 2023
Court cases filed
Aug 2024
The UK government announces it will not defend the case. Other parties to confirm.
Oct 2024
Case permissions expected (decision on which grounds have permission to proceed)
Early 2024
Case hearing and judgment

The grounds

Uplift and Greenpeace have both filed judicial review challenges to the government’s decision to approve Rosebank. The cases argue that the decisions of the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) are unlawful because:

  • Incompatibility with climate targets: The approval of Rosebank is incompatible with the government’s climate commitments. We argue that the approval of Rosebank makes it effectively impossible to achieve the emissions reductions targets in the North Sea Transition Deal (NSTD). The NSTD is the oil and gas sector’s contribution to the legally binding net zero target and according to the NSTA, the industry is already off track to meet that target. It is argued that the government cannot lawfully approve projects which mean these targets will be missed.
  • Regulator's complete lack of transparency: The North Sea Transitional Authority (NSTA) has failed to give any reasons at all, let alone any rational ones, for its decision to grant consent to the development. The cases challenge the complete lack of transparency from the NSTA, particularly around what is involved in its net zero test and how it could have concluded that Rosebank passed this test.

  • Emissions from burning the oil: The previous government failed to consider combustion emissions caused by burning Rosebank’s oil and gas when assessing its environmental impact. Despite the fact that Rosebank contains almost 500 million barrels of oil and gas, the burning of which will produce more CO2 than the annual emissions of the world’s 28 lowest-income countries combined, the previous government ignored the emissions that come from burning the fossil fuels that Rosebank will produce.

  • Impacts on our seas: The last government has failed to adequately assess the marine impacts of Rosebank, including minimising the impacts on a Marine Protected Area (MPA). We argue that Rosebank will significantly hinder the conservation objectives of the Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt which is a Nature Conservation MPA.

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