Andrew Marr: Environmentalists are 'understandably' concerned about the impact of new Rosebank oil and gas field
27 September 2023, 18:17
Andrew Marr 'understands' concern over new Rosebank oil and gas field.
Environmentalists are "understandably" concerned about the approval of Rosebank's new oil and gas field, Andrew Marr has said.
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Speaking on LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, the presenter said: "Well you’d expect a new oil field to generate a lot of heat.
"That’s what oil does, and the new Rosebank oil and gas field off the northern coast of Scotland has the potential, we're told, to produce 500 million barrels of oil.
"If some people are alarmed, that's not surprising: if burned those 500 million barrels would emit as much planet-warming carbon dioxide as running 56 coal-fired power stations for a year.
"Just imagine, for a moment, if Rishi Sunak had announced 56 new coal power stations.
"Rosebank has made environmentalists every bit as upset as you’d expect. The Greens’ only MP Caroline Lucas described today’s announcement as morally obscene. Greenpeace called it catastrophic."
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Andrew highlighted the UK government's commitment to reaching Net Zero by 2050, and how the energy sector represents nearly 75 per cent of global emissions.
He continued: "You can see why opening a new oil and gas field, one of the last ones left round Britain, is a big deal.
"This one field getting the go-ahead today would produce as much pollution as 700 million people do in a year. So I understand the outrage. I understand why this may be subject to legal challenge."
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He added: "But tonight, more than anything else, I want to look at three big arguments the government is using for going ahead despite all that.
First it’s claimed it will cut our fuel bills. Second, it will give Britain more energy security at a time when tyrants are roaming the world. Third, although we need to get to net zero and we will, on the journey we’d still need oil and gas for the transition and frankly it might as well be ours"
