Hundreds of people have descended on beaches across Scotland to stage a "Wave of Resistance" against the Rosebank oil field.
From Shetland to Aberdeen and from Oban to Edinburgh, campaigners took to the sea in boats, kayaks and paddleboards to protest against Rosebank, the UK’s largest undeveloped oil and gas field, to highlight their concerns about its potential impact on Scotland’s marine life if the UK government gives it the green light.
Grant Shapps is expected to make a decision imminently on whether or not to approve Rosebank.
In Aberdeen, paddle boarders held a “paddle out” and wrote “Stop Rosebank" messages in the sand, while in Oban, activists from the group Time for Change Argyll & Bute took part in a beach clean and heard about local ocean restoration, as well as staging a protest on the beach.
Alongside dozens of climate and marine organisations, including Friends of the Earth Scotland, Surfers Against Sewage, Sea Shepherd UK and Greenpeace UK, activists demanded that Equinor, Norway’s state-owned oil company, halt its plans to develop Rosebank and that the UK government reject the project.
The field contains hundreds of millions of barrels of oil, which – if burned – would, they say, generate more CO2 emissions than the annual CO2 emissions of the world’s 28 low-income countries.
Izzy Ross an Aberdeen "paddle out" protestor with Surfers Against Sewage, said: “I’m taking part today, with surfers, divers, and others from across the UK who live by the coast to ask the government to protect Britain’s seas and stop Rosebank. We are finally starting to appreciate how rich, diverse and important Britain’s waters are, and in particular the seas around Scotland. Now is the time to protect and restore them, not continue to pollute and industrialise them for the sake of oil and gas industry profits. Rosebank won’t help lower our bills, or make the UK any more energy secure as most of its oil reserves will get put in tankers and sold overseas. People are demanding that our politicians put the health of our seas and amazing marine life first.”
Scott Herrett, Just Transition Organiser at Friends of the Earth Scotland, taking part in the Aberdeen paddle out said: "Drilling for more Oil and gas will cost us the earth and will continue to lock millions of people into unaffordable energy across the UK. It's time for Aberdeen to go in a new direction towards clean renewable energy that has minimal impact on our marine life and can provide good quality green jobs for the long term.
"Energy workers and those communities around oil and gas have to be at the heart of directing this transition to ensure it meets their needs and retains their skills. Climate action in the North East means making public transport more affordable and available, as well as ensuring every home is energy efficient so that we can reduce our energy needs and improve the lives of people."
Rowan Aitchison, who organised the Oban protest as part of Time for Change Argyll & Bute, said: “Living by the sea is a big part of life in Argyll. We have a huge amount of beautiful coastline, beaches and islands, which are also home to an amazing diversity of wildlife both on the shores and in the ocean. We all want to be able to continue to enjoy our coast and sea in Argyll for years to come, and for future generations to be able to enjoy it and live in harmony with it too. For this to happen, we need to halt climate change and make sure that the oil and gas industry can’t continue to pollute our seas and damage marine ecosystems. The UK Government must put a stop to Rosebank and all new oil and gas projects now.”
Equinor say: "Rosebank is located 130 kilometres west of the Shetland Islands. Equinor acquired the operatorship in 2019 and is developing the field together with our partners. In its lifetime, Rosebank is expected to produce 300 million barrels of oil. The field is being developed as part of the UK Government North Sea Transition deal, and will bring much needed energy security and investment in the UK while supporting the UK’s net zero target."
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