Great Britain – British government threatens to sue new oil field

Climate activists protest in London in October Image: AFP

Environmentalists have launched legal action against the British government after it approved the development of the country’s largest undeveloped oil and gas field.

Environmentalists have launched legal action against the British government after it approved the development of the country’s largest undeveloped oil and gas field. The organizations Uplift and Greenpeace said in a joint statement on Monday that they would legally challenge approval to develop the Rosebank field in the North Sea, northwest of Scotland’s Shetland Islands, in separate proceedings. Both had applied to the Supreme Court of Scotland to review the decision.

At the end of September, the British regulatory body, the North Sea Transition Authority, awarded a development and production license for the Rosebank field to a Norwegian-Israeli joint venture. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government justified this by citing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and increasing energy prices. On Monday, the government said it would “vigorously” defend itself against the legal challenge.

At the UN climate summit in Dubai, nearly 200 countries, including Great Britain, agreed to move away from fossil fuels to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

Uplift managing director Tessa Khan warned that the development of Rosebank would undermine Britain’s plans to “stay within safe climate limits”. If the government disagrees, it “must prove this in court.”

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