On Wednesday 18 March, campaigners from Fossil Free London staged a Titanic-themed demonstration in Westminster over the Labour Party government’s potential re-approval of the climate-wrecking Rosebank oil field.
Rosebank: it’s time to let go
Campaigners recreated the infamous scene in which lead character Jack Dawson drowns as Rose clings to a door in the sea:
They chanted “There’s an iceberg we don’t want to hit! Rosebank is a sinking ship” with a banner reading “Let Go of Rosebank”:
This was to draw a creative parallel with the approaching climate emergency and the government’s potential reapproval of the project’s development:
BREAKING: We’re outside Parliament for a third Wednesday in the row to #StopRosebank
Just like the Titanic, Rosebank is a sinking ship, and we’re out of lifeboats.
Rosebank is steering us straight into catastrophe— but it’s not too late to change course pic.twitter.com/Wp3ycvTDef
— Fossil Free London (@fossilfreeLDN) March 19, 2025
In red dresses and with rose crowns, they held placards with common sense arguments against Rosebank, drawing attention to the fact it won’t lower our bills, and that much of the development costs would be paid by the UK public, as well as its climate impacts:
‘New oil is a sinking ship’
Scotland’s Court of Session ruled the previous government’s approval of the project unlawful in January. However, despite the fact it’s currently unlawful for the fossil fuel companies to drill for any oil and gas, they continue to build Rosebank.
If developed, the Rosebank oil and gas field would release equivalent emissions equal to those produced by the world’s 28 lowest-income countries:
Equinor is majority-owned (68%) by the Norwegian government, which has a sovereign wealth fund worth in the region of $1.3 trillion. The UK public will cover the vast majority (up to 90%) of the costs of developing Rosebank, with profits flowing to the Norwegian oil company.
Rosebank’s main offshore vessel will be built in Dubai, a move which has angered UK trade unions; reducing the amount of jobs the field would have created in Scotland.
The UK government will now decide to re-approve or reject the field after their oil and gas consultation concludes in spring 2025.
Director of Fossil Free London Robin Wells said:
If Labour clings on to Rosebank, they’re clinging to the unstable, dangerous future of oil and gas. If this government wants to protect us all, they must let go of this disaster project. Rosebank means expensive energy bills and climate disaster. New oil is a sinking ship.
Featured image and additional images supplied
