Dear Editor, Like many residents in Bath and North East Somerset, I am deeply concerned about the climate crisis and the potential approval of new North Sea oil developments. This is not just a headline; it is harming our community, country and across the world every day. With another heat wave taking place this week, wildfires including not far away in the New Forest it is imperative that this government denies the development of the Rosebank oil field and instead advocates for a properly funded just transition.
That is why I have officially written to the three local MPs for Bath and North East Somerset, Wera Hobhouse, Anna Sabine and Dan Norris asking that they raise this urgent matter directly in Parliament and press the government for a real solution.
See the open letter to Wera Hobhouse below.
Kind regards, Cllr Joanna Wright
10 August 2026
Open letter to Wera Hobhouse MP
Calling for your opposition to further fossil fuel extraction
Dear Wera Hobhouse
Reports are circulating new Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham is ready to green light new oil and gas fields in the North Sea.
We appreciate that you have spoken in Parliament about the environmental impact of the Rosebank oil field, specifically that its emissions will be enormous—equivalent to 70% of the UK’s annual total emissions.
We are writing to reaffirm our strong commitment to a healthy and sustainable future for the residents of Bath and North East Somerset and beyond.
Under the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to enable the long-term global average surface temperature increase to be kept well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. We are devastated that in recent years there have been breaches of 1.5°C for a month or a year which are early signs of getting perilously close to exceeding the long-term limit.
Everyone who lives, works and studies in Bath and North East Somerset is facing unprecedented temperatures this summer with impacts on health, education, work and transport. Those who are less well off often feel the consequences most severely.
Rosebank would be an unmitigated climate disaster for the people of Bath and North East Somerset, the UK, and worldwide. Scientists have warned time and time again that governments can’t allow more new oil and gas if we want to limit global warming to 1.5C. Rosebank will bust UK climate goals and push us closer to more parts of our world becoming uninhabitable. Rosebank’s oil and gas would produce more CO2 than the 28 poorest countries do in a year. The Met Office has reported that 2700 people have lost their lives to extreme heat already this year.
Oil and gas prices are set on a global market, so more domestic production simply doesn’t lower our bills. 90% of the fuel that would be extracted from Rosebank is oil, which would most likely be exported overseas. This isn’t about energy security. The Labour government has already admitted this.
Thanks to a generous tax system, Norwegian state-owned oil giant Equinor and oil company Ithaca will pass the majority of the cost of developing the Rosebank oil field to the UK public. This means the UK public would hand over BILLIONS in tax breaks to Rosebank’s owners, just to develop the field. UK’s biggest gas supplier, Equinor, makes record-breaking profits while millions are struggling to pay their energy bills.
The oil company behind Rosebank and Cambo, Ithaca, is majority-owned by the Delek Group. Delek has been listed by the UN amongst businesses that are facilitating and profiting from the construction and growth of Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory. The risk that profits from exploiting the North Sea may flow towards a company linked to settler colonialism in Palestine is indefensible.
To permanently lower bills, have a reliable energy supply and avert climate collapse we need to move faster towards renewable energy and lower emissions. We need to wind down oil and gas ensuring a just transition for existing workers to sustainable jobs in clean energy sectors. The energy crisis, the climate crisis and increasing global tensions are caused by our reliance on expensive and finite fossil fuels.
As elected members of Parliament for Bath and North East Somerset, we ask you to make clear your opposition to further fossil fuel extraction, representing all the people across this area who share these immediate concerns.
We urge you to speak on behalf of your constituents in Parliament, and do everything in your power to Stop Rosebank and any new fossil fuel developments.
Regards
Joanna Wright
Sam Ross
Saskia Heijltjes
Bath and North East Somerset Green Group
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