Sheffield Green Party call for Burnham to abandon plans for Rosebank and Jackdaw.
As we begin the third heatwave of this summer and wildfires blaze around Europe and close by at Tintwhistle, we are experiencing what 1.5 degrees of heating means for the planet and for Sheffield. It is time for urgent action to address the climate and nature emergencies.
On Monday, Green Party members and supporters of many environmental groups came together to call on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to abandon any proposals to open new oil fields in the North Sea, such as Rosebank and Jackdaw.
As part of the #StopRosebank campaign, Sheffield Greens are asking members to write to their MP urging an end to new oil and gas. There is a template that can be used here. https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/mps. When writing to your MP, include your full address and telephone number so they have no excuse not to get back to you.
Leader of the Green Group, Councillor Angela Argenzio said, “True climate leadership must go hand-in-hand with affordable and stable energy prices. We cannot afford to lock ourselves into decades of fossil fuel pollution that won’t lower our bills. Instead, we need a commitment to a just transition that protects communities, secures our energy future, and brings well-paid, unionised green industrial jobs back into our local communities.
The reality is that jobs in the North Sea oil and gas industry have halved in the last decade, thanks to its dwindling reserves, despite previous governments issuing hundreds of new licences. New fields like Rosebank will not stem this decline; they only further delay the inevitable transition to renewables.
Chair of Sheffield Green Party, Kim Perry said, “Clinging to oil and gas leaves workers behind, while oil and gas bosses make millions. By continuing to prioritise a declining industry with fewer returns and fewer jobs, we are leaving our future in the hands of an industry that only cares about protecting its profits.
10 major national trade unions and 1,900 trade unionists are demanding that the government reject the Rosebank oil field. These unions represent firefighters, ambulance staff, network management in the gas sector, teachers, nurses, cleaners, civil servants and more.”
The letter asks MP’s to write to Andy Burnham to raise these concerns, oppose fossil fuel expansion and prioritise a worker-led, green industrial strategy. MP’s are urged to:
– Call on Andy Burnham to publicly oppose the Rosebank oil field, ensuring the Government prioritises ordinary people over profiteering oil companies.
– Send him the MP briefing on Rosebank: https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/updates/mp-briefing-rosebank-oil-field
– Demand a commitment to a just transition that protects existing energy workers and brings well-paid, unionised green industrial jobs back into local communities.
Other groups taking part in the action included
South Yorkshire Climate Alliance
Extinction Rebellion
Tell the Truth Sheffield
Better Buses for South Yorkshire
Sheffield Climate Choir
Sheffield Quakers
Sheffield Climate Vigil
