Rosebank development would be “immoral and unlawful”
The proposed plans for new oil and gas extraction at the Rosebank site off the coast of Shetland are “immoral and unlawful” says Scottish Greens Co-Leader Lorna Slater.
Ms Slater’s comments come as the Court of Session in Edinburgh considers a judicial review against the destructive development.
Rosebank is the biggest undeveloped oil and gas field in the North Sea, with the fossil fuel giants claiming they can extract nearly 500 million barrels from the site.
Scottish Greens in Holyrood and Shetland Council have stood up against this development making the case that exploiting Rosebank’s resources would be unlawful in the and totally incompatible with tackling the climate emergency.
Scottish Greens Co-Leader Lorna Slater MSP said:
“Rosebank would be a catastrophe for our climate and a disaster for our planet. Temperatures are rising all around us, we can’t afford to continue endlessly exploiting fossil fuel resources in the North Sea.
“Right now there are politicians, scientists and campaigners gathering for COP29 and calling for global climate action. Yet oil and gas giants are in Court today trying to argue for their right to drill even more of our North Sea. It would be environmental vandalism on a terrible scale.
“Developing the Rosebank field would be immoral and unlawful, that is why the Scottish Greens have stood against this development and will continue to fight for a just transition for Scotland’s workers.
“Workers in Shetland and the North East need a Just Transition to secure green jobs for the future, not false promises of endless fossil fuel jobs.
“Clean, green, renewable energy is the safest, cheapest and best energy available. Scotland has a huge renewable potential and an abundance of natural resources that any country would envy. Those are the industries that the Scottish Greens believe we should be supporting, not the ones that are destroying our planet.”
