Local residents gathered at Boscombe Pier on September 6, 2025, as part of a nationwide day of action demanding that the government reject Rosebank, the UK’s largest untapped oil field.
The Bournemouth action featured a striking banner drop from the pier, music from Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (XR-BCP) Rhythms drummers, and an outreach stall where passers-by were invited to write postcards to their MPs, calling on them to sign the #StopRosebank pledge. Similar demonstrations took place in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and many other locations across the UK, reflecting widespread public opposition to the field.
I described Rosebank as:
“a climate timebomb. Approving it would lock us into decades more fossil fuel dependence at exactly the moment we should be accelerating a fair transition to renewables.”
Rosebank, owned primarily by Norwegian state oil giant Equinor, would produce more CO2 than the annual emissions of the world’s 28 lowest-income countries combined. Despite this devastating climate impact, the vast majority of Rosebank’s oil would be exported abroad — doing nothing to cut household energy bills or strengthen UK energy security.
Another Bournemouth local, Ralph Doe, said:
“This oil field won’t lower our bills, it won’t improve our energy security.
It just lines the pockets of oil giants while communities here deal with the rising costs of floods, wildfires, and polluted seas.”
British taxpayers are expected to foot most of the development costs, while the profits will flow to Norway’s oil fund and to Delek Group, an Israeli fuel conglomerate flagged by the UN for human rights violations in Palestine. Equinor is currently under investigation by the Norwegian Consumer Authority for failing to carry out proper due diligence on these controversial links.
Steve Harper, also from Bournemouth, added:
“The government says it cares about future generations.
Well, future generations are watching. If they approve Rosebank, they’re selling out our children’s future for foreign profit.”
The UK government is expected to make a final decision on Rosebank in the coming months, after Equinor resubmits its application for development. Campaigners in Bournemouth sent a clear message to Prime Minister Keir Starmer: pull the plug on Rosebank once and for all.
About Stop Rosebank:
The #StopRosebank campaign is made up of individuals, grassroots groups and organisations across Scotland, the rest of UK, and the world. We are dedicated to ending all new oil and gas extraction and phasing out existing production within safe climate limits.
The network started in 2021 with a successful campaign to stop the Cambo oil field. Now we are taking on all new fields in the UK, specifically focusing on Equinor and Ithaca’s Rosebank oil field, and Shell’s Jackdaw gas field.
