The Rosebank Ruckus

Welcome to the Strawman, the daily newsletter that turns serious news into barrels of laughter. Today, we're delving into the Rosebank oil project - strap on your life jackets.

What is Rosebank?

Rosebank is an enormous oilfield 80 miles from the Shetland Islands. Owned by Norwegian energy giant Equinor, this £4.5 billion project is planning to pump out 300 million barrels of oil and gas, dwarfing the already infamous Cambo field.

UK regulators are preparing to give their stamp of approval and Rosebank is about to transform into an environmental battleground. What’s left behind is likely to be an oily mess.

The Great North Sea Debate

The British government's appetite for new North Sea oil licenses has surged since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They’re hoping to reduce their reliance on international oil and build energy security by increasing domestic supply.

But, not everyone's on the same wavelength.

Detractors argue that the oil and gas from Rosebank would spew over 200 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, out-emitting the world's 28 lowest-income countries combined. Now I’m not an expert on geopolitical relations, but at a time when everyone’s trying to work together to cut emissions, this seems like a massive f*** you from the UK.

With the UK aiming for net-zero carbon by 2050, this project has become a hot topic - Rosebank could undo years worth of work. Greenpeace's UK oil and gas transition campaigner, Philip Evans, says they'll oppose the project "at every stage.” Damn. You know you messed up when Greenpeace comes knocking.

Equinor's Slippery Defense

Equinor isn't letting the criticism slide; they're hitting back with some slick arguments of their own.

They claim that the Rosebank project will create 1,600 jobs during construction and support an average of 450 UK-based full-time jobs throughout its lifetime. They also argue that responsible companies in western countries should develop their resources as long as oil and gas are needed. Looks like they want to have their cake and eat it too - its just that this cake is a massive oil field.

Until next time,

The Strawman

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