211 Musicians Urge UK to Reject Rosebank Oilfield
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- 211 musicians including Thom Yorke, Massive Attack, Brian Eno, Robert Smith, Romy, Bobby Gillespie, Olly Alexander and Paris Paloma wrote to Andy Burnham (referred to as the prime minister in the article) urging rejection of the Rosebank oilfield
- The letter argues Rosebank would fail to lower energy bills or deliver energy security since most extracted oil would be exported, and says extreme heat is already disrupting schools, workplaces, hospitals, transport, festivals and live events
- Rosebank, about 80 miles north-west of the Shetland Islands, could produce more than 250 million tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime — equivalent to 70% of UK annual emissions — according to environmental campaigners
- Adura, operator of both Rosebank and the Jackdaw gasfield off Aberdeen, says the projects represent £10.8bn in investment and would support 3,500 jobs at peak construction and 880 employees over its production lifetime
- Government consultations on both projects closed in the past week; both were initially approved under the previous Conservative government but those decisions were quashed after a Greenpeace legal challenge pending more detailed climate assessments
- The Met Office said this summer is on course to be the UK's hottest since records began, with 2026 likely to be the first year with four separate days at 36C or above; hospital EDs logged more than 2.4 million attendances each in May, June and July — the three highest monthly totals ever
- A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said the North Sea remains a vital national asset and that oil and gas will continue to play an important role in the UK's energy system for decades
Why it matters: With the Rosebank consultation closed Monday, Labour ministers are now deciding whether to approve a project that campaigners estimate would emit 250 million tonnes of CO2 — roughly 70% of the UK's annual emissions. Adura's £10.8bn investment pitch is undercut by the artists' specific claim that most extracted oil would be exported, undermining the bills-and-security argument used to justify new North Sea drilling.
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