At the Court of Session in Edinburgh Chris Pirie KC, the UK government has admitted in that the country's largest untapped oilfield, Rosebank off Shetland, was approved unlawfully.
The move came during a case brought by climate campaigners against both Rosebank and the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea. During the session, the government, accepted that assessments did not include “the effects on climate of the combustion of oil and gas to be extracted from the fields.”
Rosebank was given the green light on 27 September 2023 and Jackdaw on 1 June 2022, both by the previous Conservative administration.
The government was required to consider environmental impact assessments about the fields. These took into account the impact on climate change of emissions caused by the process of extracting oil and gas but not of greenhouse gases which would be released when the fossil fuels were eventually burned.
In the judicial review at the Court of Session, environmental groups Greenpeace and Uplift are arguing that this means work on Rosebank and Jackdaw should be paused while fuller environmental impact assessments are carried out
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1 w
Shame on the UK... As the world is moving away from fossil fuels UK is encouraging the same
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2 w
The outcome of this case could set a significant precedent for future oil and gas projects in the UK.
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3 w
They should then do the right thing to change it.
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3 w
work on Rosebank and Jackdaw should be paused while fuller environmental impact assessments are carried out.
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3 w
Courtesy of the new leadership by prime minister Starmer, we are witnessing serious climate change restoration actions from UK.
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3 w
The fact that they did admit to their mistakes is quite a significant step forward as they will atleast try to right their wrong.
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3 w
Governments ought to take the issue of climate change seriously before we loose all that we have due to avoidable circumstances.
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3 w
This is so concerning about the government's adherence to legal processes. It's important for transparency and accountability to be upheld in such decisions.
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3 w
It is unbelievable! The government cannot be caught hands in the jar in this sort of way. Either way we hope that amends will suffice to make up for this great travesty.
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3 w
This admission marks a significant step towards greater accountability in environmental decision-making, highlighting the importance of fully considering climate impacts in resource extraction projects.