Image of two rigs, one in ghost format saying Tell Your MP - No More North Sea Drilling
Image of two rigs, one in ghost format saying Tell Your MP - No More North Sea Drilling

Rosebank and Jackdaw are no prize

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13 Oct, 2026 / 1 min read time

Oxfam Scotland has criticised a new industry-commissioned report backing the proposed Rosebank oil field and Jackdaw gas field, arguing that it fails to reckon with the growing economic and human cost of climate breakdown.

Campaigners say the real challenge for the UK Government is not how to extend the life of fossil fuels, but how to accelerate a fair green transition that supports workers, strengthens communities and builds a resilient economy for the future.

Katherine May, Head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “It's hardly surprising that a report commissioned by an oil company concludes that more drilling is a good idea. Asking it to assess Jackdaw and Rosebank is like asking a seagull whether chips should be left unguarded.

“This report talks about an economic prize: a prize for the very few at the expense of communities in the UK around the globe. Conspicuously absent is any serious reckoning with the cost of climate breakdown. The UK’s own climate advisers warn that climate change is increasingly threatening the country’s prosperity and security, with costs that could run to tens of billions of pounds a year by mid-century. Meanwhile, the lifetime emissions from Rosebank and Jackdaw could drive an estimated 65,495 excess heat deaths globally by 2100.

“The real prize is a fair green transition that backs workers, supports communities and builds an economy designed for the future, rather than one anchored to the past.”

/ENDS

For more information and interviews, please contact: Rebecca Lozza, Media and Communications Adviser, Oxfam Scotland: rlozza1@oxfam.org.uk / 07917 738450.  

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