Jackdaw and Rosebank would set us back in tackling the climate emergency - David Tonge, Ambre Olivari & Chris Copland
Memories of the wildfire that raged on Langdale Moor in North Yorkshire for 40 days last year came to mind as yet again this summer we experienced extreme weather events across the UK.
Andy Burnham has responded by banning disposable BBQs. However, while careless behaviour may be the spark that starts the blaze, the real problem is the parched landscape created by unprecedented hot, dry weather, and this, science insists, is unequivocally the result of climate change.
Burnham is therefore in a strong position to justify decisive action on the root cause. Because the original consents for the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields were ruled unlawful in 2025, he now has an opportunity to side with climate science and reject the plans to renew drilling for oil and gas when they drop onto his desk.
The 24 member groups of North Yorkshire Climate Coalition are therefore adding our voices to the chorus across the country urging the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero to refuse the proposals (see our letter at www.nyclimatecoalition.org/jackdaw-rosebank-letter-to-sos).
To do otherwise would undermine our international credibility as a climate leader in return for little or no impact on energy prices, energy security, jobs or the cost of living. Crucially, too, by signalling a more 'pragmatic' approach to oil and gas extraction, approval risks deflecting us from the biggest growth opportunity of the 21st century.
By contrast, government and independent energy research cited by Carbon Brief shows that expanding renewable energy capacity would ‘displace significantly larger volumes of imported LNG than new North Sea drilling can achieve’. Furthermore, a recent CBI report highlights the strength and resilience of the UK’s net-zero economy, which has continued to grow even during periods of economic stagnation, attracting investment, creating skilled, resilient and well-paid jobs (focused importantly on a just transition for current oil and gas workers), and offering the prospect of true energy independence.
While Rosebank and Jackdaw will provide around 880 jobs across the country over their lifetimes, clean energy is expected to generate nearly 35,000 direct jobs in the Yorkshire and Humber region alone. Think mass retrofits keeping local homes warm, grid modernisation and regional clean-tech infrastructure. Not stepping backwards but resolutely heading forwards and embracing the future. That is the way to ensure a secure, skilled and sustainable economy for the next generation in our region and across the country.
Beyond the economics, too, North Yorkshire's natural beauty is a point of deep regional and national pride. True stewardship means preserving these landscapes, ensuring they thrive rather than watching them dry out into the tinderboxes of this last summer.
Reports of imminent approval for Jackdaw come just as the UN confirms we are set to breach the +1.5°C threshold within years. Against this background, greenlighting 'exceptions' - whether as a political quick fix or to plug a fiscal hole - is a trap: each exception only justifies the next, locking us into endless fossil fuel reliance.
To safeguard our communities, economy and future generations, we need the government to follow the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission’s core message: ‘Act like it’s an emergency’. If it fails to do so, voters may seek climate leadership elsewhere.
Over to you, Prime Minister. David Tonge is acting chair of North Yorkshire Climate Coalition. Ambre Olivari is climate policy advisor at North Yorkshire Climate Coalition. Chris Copland is coordinator at York Friends of the Earth.