Shetlanders join Rosebank protest in Edinburgh 

Members of climate activism group, Shetland Stop Rosebank, joined a national demonstration in Edinburgh today (Tuesday), marking the beginning of a legal challenge against Rosebank oil field .

Drilling at Rosebank – slated as the UK’s largest untapped oil field 130 kilometres north-west of Shetland – was initially consented by regulators last September. 

Since then, the Supreme Court ruled regulators must consider the environmental impact of projects holistically: in Rosebank’s case including not only drilling and extraction itself, but also the eventual combustion of the oil.

Environmental groups Greenpeace and Uplift have jointly asked the Court of Session in Edinburgh to revoke consent for Rosebank and the Jackdaw gas field near Aberdeen. That judicial review began today.

Sanjeev Prasad, 18, a medical student who grew up in Lerwick, attended a demonstration outside the court because he was worried about climate change.

“As a younger person, it’s my future,” Mr Prasad said.

“I’m from India, and I’ve seen how climate change can affects countries,” he added, from deadly flooding in Pakistan to Spain, more recently.

“Every time I go to Bangalore, which is the city I’m from, it’s hotter each year.”

Uplift and Greenpeace say the Rosebank oilfield will generate more CO2 than the 28 poorest countries in the world do each year.

Rosebank’s majority owners, Norway-based Equinor, say the development will support 2,000 jobs during its construction and more than 500 while it is operating.

Andrea Sanchez, a Bressay local and Shetland officer of the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub, acknowledged the isles have a strong historical connection to oil and gas, but said it was important that locals also raised their voice in opposition.

“We are the closest to the oil field, and therefore it’s our voice that that matters the most,” Ms Sanchez said.

“There’s a lot of people here in Shetland that are in favour of oil and gas developments because we benefited a lot from from that in the past. However, there’s a few of us that are against [them] because we can see and we can understand the climate emergency.

“This doesn’t have implications just for Shetland or the marine area around Shetland, but it’s got implications for the whole world.”

Greens councillor Alex Armitage did not attend the protest, but said the legal challenge was an opportunity for the UK government to show “climate leadership globally,” just a few days before the start of COP29.

“Leaving Rosebank oil in the ground is Britain’s bargaining chip when we’re talking with other larger polluting countries,” Mr Armitage said. “They can see Britain as a climate hypocrisy while we continue to drill for oil.”