Parents, children and grandparents from across Stroud are to travel to London and gather in Parliament, today for a meeting with MPs, including MP for Stroud Dr Simon Opher, to directly raise their concerns about the climate crisis.
The controversial Rosebank oil field will be a particular focus as the Government prepares to make a final decision on whether the project will go ahead.
More than 30 families will attend the parliamentary breakfast drop-in in the Palace of Westminster, organised by climate group Parents For Future UK and sponsored by Dr Simon Opher MP.
Families from Stroud will be joined by parents, children and grandparents from Sheffield, Hove, Derby and beyond to raise their concerns about the escalating climate crisis, the impacts they are seeing in their communities, and calling for Rosebank to be rejected.
With children sitting alongside parents and grandparents, families will deliver a united message: the UK must draw a line under new oil and gas extraction, starting with Rosebank.
The approval was quashed previously by the Scottish Court of Session after the climate impact of burning its oil and gas was not fully considered. Its developers have since resubmitted plans, triggering a fresh decision-making process now back in Government hands, and a decision expected any day.
Analysis cited by campaigners suggested that burning Rosebank’s oil and gas would cause the UK to exceed its climate targets and would generate more CO₂ than the 28 poorest countries produce in a year. Parents For Future UK argues that the UK now has a unique opportunity to reject fossil fuels and build on the UK’s recent commitment to clean community owned energy.
The Stop Rosebank campaign has built significant political momentum in recent months, with dozens of MPs and MSPs signing a pledge opposing the field. Parents for Future UK argue that approving Rosebank would undermine the UK’s credibility on climate action and derail global ambition further at a time of escalating global impacts.
From media personalities to athletes, high profile parents are increasingly voicing their concerns. TV presenter, four time Winter Olympian and mother, Chemmy Alcott, shared her support for acting on climate, saying: “I have a front-row seat to the environmental changes driven by climate change, and naturally it makes me worried about the environment my sons will inherit. The impacts are undeniable. It’s time for all of us to do everything we can to ensure we pass on a healthier, more hopeful world to our children.”
Lucie Brown Co-Director of Parents For Future UK from Stroud, said: “Families across Stroud are increasingly vulnerable to flooding and extreme heat and we worry about diminishing food security and community unrest as things get worse. We want our leaders to protect all kids by ensuring that we move away from fossil fuels to a cleaner, greener future.”
Dr Simon Opher MP added: “The decision to end all new oil and gas licenses is one the UK can be proud of but the imminent decision on the future of Rosebank is the next true climate test for this government – one that parents and families from my constituency and across the UK are rightly watching closely. This is a test we really cannot afford to fail.”
Professor Hugh Montgomery, climate expert, added: “Exploiting known fossil fuel reserves would take us to +8-10°C, and the Arctic to +17°C. Approving any new extraction is suicide and further exploration, madness. The threat is now immediate and grave to us all – no longer just to ‘our grandchildren.”
With a Government decision expected in the coming weeks, today’s gathering is a reminder that the choice on Rosebank will shape the safety and security of our communities.
For more information, visit parentsforfuture.org.uk
