SEVEN Church of England bishops, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Williams, have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister which urges him to block the drilling of the Rosebank oilfield.

Rosebank is the largest undeveloped oilfield in UK waters. The Norwegian oil giant Equinor was given the green light to drill last year by the Conservative government (News, 29 September 2023). A legal challenge brought by the charities Greenpeace and Uplift, however, was given the go-ahead last week. They hope to stall the proceedings, and campaigners are now calling on the Government to step in and revoke the drilling permissions.

The open letter is signed by the Bishops of Sheffield, Colchester, Doncaster, Aston, Edmonton, and Kingston. They are joined by more than 250 signatories, including doctors, academics, and farmers, and civil-society organisations including CAFOD and Christian Aid Scotland.

Last year, 700 climate scientists wrote to the Government in opposition to Rosebank on the grounds that it would produce more than 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide: more than the combined annual emissions of the world’s 28 lowest-income countries, including Uganda, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.

Campaigners have also pointed out that, owing to the UK’s windfall tax scheme, which allows companies to offset their tax contributions through new investment, the Rosebank project would receive £3.75 billion in fovernment support, while Equinor would only pay £350 million.

Over recent months, the campaign group Christian Climate Action has held prayer vigils outside Equinor’s headquarters and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. One campaigner at both was Mark Francis. He said: “As Christians, we are called to defend the rights of the poor and the needy. Projects like Rosebank will have a devastating impact on many of our brothers and sisters around the world. We need a just transition to an energy system that works for us all, instead of one primarily set on making profits for foreign multinationals.”