Central Scotland list MSP Gillian Mackay has insisted the UK Government should not approve the controversial Jackdaw and Rosebank oil and gas fields. Her comments come as the latest public consultation on Rosebank, the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea, 80 miles north west of Shetland, closes today (Monday).
MSP: Approval would be 'reckless and indefensible'
Gillian, who is also the Scottish Greens co-leader, said: “Giving permission to a climate-wrecking project like Rosebank would be reckless and indefensible.
“All governments have the basic duty to protect our environment. Yet the frightening reality is that as the climate crisis gets worse, the UK and Scottish Government responses are getting weaker.
“Andy Burnham’s first major climate test as Prime Minister was whether he would honour Labour’s manifesto, ruling out new drilling in the North Sea and standing up to climate-denying Donald Trump. He has already failed it.
“He should have honoured his party’s manifesto, and immediately rejected Trump’s demand to open up the North Sea.
“It is more of the same short-term thinking that has failed Scotland’s workers and communities for decades.”
Jackdaw consultation closed earlier
A similar exercise for the planned Jackdaw gas field, about 150 miles east of Aberdeen, finished on August 10. Production at both fields had been approved by the previous Conservative government, but those decisions were quashed after a legal challenge by Greenpeace, leaving Labour ministers to decide whether drilling should go ahead.
Industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) has said Rosebank and Jackdaw would support a peak of more than 3,500 jobs during construction, and 880 jobs externally throughout during their lifespans.
However, Gillian added: “John Swinney and the Scottish Government are failing this test too. We have seen devastating wildfires, droughts and extreme heat right on our doorsteps, but the Scottish Government cannot answer simple questions about whether it supports new drilling.
“That is a huge step backwards, for Scotland and the SNP. Just a few years ago, with Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership and Greens in Government, we put the climate crisis at the heart of Scotland’s energy policy.
“Now with the Scottish Greens out of government, Scotland gets a Scottish Government that offers non-answers, delays and calls to cut taxes for oil giants.
“That is the wrong target and the wrong strategy. Scotland should be taxing extreme wealth, and we should be blocking any projects that irreparably harm our environment. Our climate is not something governments can sell to corporations or bargain away.
“While others retreat from their climate commitments, the Scottish Greens unashamedly will not. We will always put people and planet before profit, and we are saying clearly: the UK and Scottish Governments must stop Rosebank.”
Campaign group warns of climate consequences
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) - a campaign group made up of more than 70 organisations with around a million supporters - said the new Prime Minister must block the proposed new developments.
It warned Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh that the “consequences of climate change are already being felt, through more extreme heat, drought, wildfires and growing risks to food insecurity”.
The letter claimed that approving new fields such as Rosebank and Jackdaw is “not compatible with climate goals”.
OEUK calls for 'realism' in energy policy
The OEUK has said it recognises the threat of climate change, but the UK needs “realism” in its energy policy.
David Whitehouse, who leads OEUK, said: “Unprecedented heatwaves are reminding us that climate change is not a future threat but a present reality. The UK needs both urgency and realism in its energy policy. That means accelerating renewable energy and also being honest about today’s energy system.
“The reality is that oil and gas still provide around 75% of the UK’s energy, keeping our cars moving, planes flying, homes warm and industries running.
“If we do not produce this oil and gas here with lower emissions under one of the most tightly regulated regimes in the world, we do not end demand. It just means more imported oil and gas - often with a higher carbon footprint, while more jobs, taxes and industrial value are shifted overseas. The Government must be honest about this.”
The future of North Sea oil and gas has proved divisive for Labour and the SNP.
A Department of Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “We are clear that oil and gas will continue to play an important role in our energy system for decades to come, alongside transitioning to clean power to protect jobs and tackle the climate crisis.”
