An Open Letter From UK Musicians and Artists to the Government
Rt Hon. Sir Keir Starmer MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA
12 August 2025
Dear Sir Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband,
We are writing to welcome the government’s recently published guidelines for new oil and gas projects, which offer a credible approach to assessing scope 3 emissions. This allows the UK government, for the first time, to assess the full climate damage from potential new developments.
As musicians and artists, we know that our creativity is rooted in the world around us. But that world is under threat. Festivals are being cancelled due to extreme weather, and grassroots venues are grappling with rising energy costs. Continued oil and gas expansion jeopardises not only our climate, but the cultural spaces where music is made and shared, the natural landscapes that inspire creativity, and the livelihoods of artists and those who support them.
The significant harm that will result from new oil and gas projects must be taken seriously, as should the economic impacts of climate change and the negligible role that new UK oil fields would play in providing the UK with reliable energy supplies.
The climate pollution from burning Rosebank’s 500 million barrels of oil and gas is incompatible with safe climate limits, and any new application to exploit Rosebank’s reserves must be refused.The most immediate impacts of Rosebank would be felt by nature- Rosebank’s development would cause direct damage to fragile habitats in the North Sea, with pollution and noise impacting our ocean life. Any new oil and gas fields in the UK would also be at odds with the Government’s clean energy and health missions and its commitment to deliver clean power by 2030. The scientific evidence that new oil and gas projects are incompatible with a liveable climate is overwhelming.
Rejecting the Rosebank oil field would be a vital step towards climate justice. The lifetime emissions from Rosebank alone would exceed the annual CO2 emissions of the 28 lowest-income countries combined. Communities who have contributed least to the climate crisis, both historically and today, are bearing its most severe impacts: from rising sea levels and extreme heat to flooding, storms, and food insecurity.
The UK public would carry almost all the costs (around 90%) of developing Rosebank if approved. Thanks to the former government’s oil and gas subsidies, the UK public would hand over billions in tax breaks to Equinor to develop the field while Equinor – which made £62 billion in profits globally in 2022 and £29 billion in 2023 – takes the profit.
We urgently need to phase out oil and gas drilling. At such a critical time, and when the impacts of climate change are being felt here and around the world, the UK government must not knowingly breach its international climate commitments. Now, more than ever, it must honor them and lead others to do the same.
We urge the government to reject new oil and gas projects, including the Rosebank field. A rejection of Rosebank would signal the government’s serious commitment to tackling the climate crisis.
Yours sincerely,
Brian Eno,
Co-Founder, EarthPercent