Oxford Climate Choir, a local activist group, have urged Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds to oppose the development of the Rosebank oilfield in a musical protest at Radcliffe Square. Their songs included the line: “Anneliese, Anneliese, pledge to cancel Rosebank please.” Rosebank is currently the largest untapped oil reserve in the North Sea.
The oil field, which lies west of Shetland, is to be developed by Equinor, a Norwegian oil giant. In a press release following the protest, the group pointed to the climate impact admitted by Equinor. The project is expected to generate almost 250 million tonnes of CO2 over 25 years and “significantly impact the climate”. The predicted impact is now more than 50 times greater than Equinor’s initial calculation of 4.5 million tonnes of CO2.
The government is now consulting the public on the Rosebank oilfield application. Carol Kirby, a member of the choir, was pleased a public consultation had been started, and said she hoped “many people would realise this is the moment to speak up, not just for future generations but for every living thing in the biosphere”.
Another attendee pointed to the economic advantages of focusing on renewable alternatives: “Developing Rosebank won’t lower our energy bills: the way to do this is by investing in renewables, which are now the cheapest source of electricity. Green energy also has the potential to boost the economy and create thousands of jobs, whereas the profits from Rosebank would go mainly to the Norwegian company developing it.”
Oxford Climate Choir is a branch of the national Climate Choir Movement, which began in Bristol in 2022, and has since spread to cities across the UK, as well as internationally, with branches in Kenya and Zimbabwe.
A spokesperson from the Oxford choir told Cherwell: “We cannot know which oilfield will be the one that tips us over into climate catastrophe. Every barrel of oil that stays in the ground helps keep our climate safer.” They also pointed to Anneliese Dodds’ membership of the governing Labour Party as a reason she was the focus of the protest, adding they “would have the same message for all Oxfordshire MPs”.
During the protest, the choir also called on Energy and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband to reject Equinor’s application, singing: “Ed Milliband, say no to Equinor, stop Rosebank today!”
They urged Oxford University students to “call on your MP to oppose granting alicense to Rosebank”, and encouraged others to join the Choir, which meets monthly to rehearse. The Choir explained that singing “is a great way to get across a message in a powerful but peaceful way”.
Anneliese Dodds has been approached for comment.
