FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

20/08/2026

Climate Cymru urge First Minister to press UK Government to block Rosebank Oil field

Climate Cymru and 20+ partner organisations call on the First Minister to urgently engage Prime Minister Andy Burnham over North Sea oil and gas expansion

CARDIFF, WALES  A coalition of more than 20 Welsh civil society organisations, environmental groups and community networks has published an open letter to the First Minister of Wales, calling for urgent action to halt the Rosebank oil field and further North Sea oil and gas expansion.

The letter, coordinated by Climate Cymru and backed by organisations including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth Pontypridd, Oxfam Cymru, Extinction Rebellion Cymru and Oxfam Cymru, urges the First Minister to write to or request an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Andy Burnham to press the UK Government to reject the Rosebank development.

Approving the Rosebank field, with lifetime emissions of 254 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent, conflicts directly with Wales’ Well-being of Future Generations Act and  of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance commitments. The field’s ownership (80% Adura-Equinor/Shell) and 20% Ithaca Energy, also raises serious ethical investment concerns. Signatories stress that new drilling won’t lower bills or boost security, noting that record UK wind and solar generation in March 2026 saved £1 billion in gas imports. With North Sea energy jobs halving over the last decade despite new approvals, the letter emphasises that green sectors offer the workforce a far more durable future.

Bethan Sayed, Head of Politics at Climate Cymru said:

“Wales has the talent, resources, and vision to lead a fair, community-driven energy transition. By investing directly in home insulation, local grids, and Welsh community renewables, we can protect families from volatile bills and keep energy wealth where it belongs-in our local communities. The First Minister must champion these homegrown Welsh solutions and urge the UK Government to choose a clean, resilient future over destructive fossil fuel projects like Rosebank.”

Willow Edwards, Cardiff Team Organiser, Green New Deal Rising said:

“Young people are deeply anxious about the climate crisis because we know that it is our futures that are directly at risk.

In the past we have witnessed governments delay, weaken, and reverse climate commitments, and seen politicians turn their backs on young people across work, education, mental health and more. Approving licenses for new oil would be another betrayal of our generation.

In the midst of wildfires, heatwaves and drought, the First Minister has an opportunity to stand irrefutably with Welsh young people, by pushing back on new oil and championing the clean energy transition.” 

Margaret Minhinick from Sustainable Wales said:

“It is critical that Andy Burnham holds firm and takes a stand against new drilling in the North Sea. New extraction at Rosebank or Jackdaw will do nothing to bring down energy bills and will jeopardise UK efforts to decarbonise and reduce our global climate leadership role .”

Signatories

The letter is signed by Climate Cymru and the following partner organisations: Coal Action Network, Datblygiadau Egni Gwledig (DEG), GwyrddNi, Green Squirrel Community Interest Company, Greenpeace, Safe online space Cymru, Diaspora Voices Cymru hub, Nature by the Taff, Cardiff Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Friends of the Earth Pontypridd, Cymru Global, Cafod South Wales, Grwp Resilience, CEIC Wales, Regional Innovation & Regeneration Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Zero Hour, Extinction Rebellion Cymru, SUSSED Wales, Sustainable Wales, A Rocha UK, British Mountaineering Association and Oxfam Cymru.