In an open letter, 427 UK Christian leaders, including Archbishop Nolan and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams have called on the Prime Minister to stop the Rosebank oil field which, Church leaders say, ‘will not provide energy security, uphold our obligations to care for our global neighbours or create sustainable jobs fit for the green energy future we need’.
‘As Christian leaders from around the UK, we do not take a partisan view on Rosebank, we take a moral view. It’s time to show international and moral leadership – and stop Rosebank.’
Among the 427 signatories to the open letter are 20 Catholic and Anglican bishops.
The letter from Church and charity leaders comes a day after Pope Francis issued a papal document, pushing back against climate denial, defending climate protestors and calling for decisive action as ‘the world in which we live is collapsing and may be near breaking point’.
As the open letter from Christian leaders to the Prime Minister states, ‘Your government will know that both the International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have been clear that we cannot afford to burn all the oil and gas from existing fossil fuel developments, let alone from new ones, and still limit global heating to 1.5°C’.
Nicky Bull, Vice Chair of Operation Noah, said, ‘UK Church leaders understand that this is not a time for political partisanship, but a time for moral clarity. Stopping Rosebank is a moral imperative, something faith leaders have made clear with today’s letter.’
View the full letter and list of signatories here.