A “GIANT climate warning” to Andy Burnham has been painted onto a mountainside scorched by wildfires, as a decision on new oil and gas in the North Sea looms.
Activists with Greenpeace installed the artwork at Sychnant Pass, outside Conwy in Wales, where a 200-acre wildfire forced the evacuation of dozens of homes last month.
The 1120m² painting, which is within the Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, features the Prime Minister holding a barrel labelled “oil and gas” and emblazoned with the Shell logo. He looks set to pour the contents of a barrel on a fire below the words: “Our house is on fire, Andy.”
Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Equinor, is behind proposals to develop the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea. A consultation on Rosebank closed on Monday, meaning both licencing decisions are now in the hands of UK Government ministers.
Previously, the Tory-run UK government approved both Rosebank and Jackdaw, but that was overturned after a court ruling said that the downstream emissions had not been properly considered when they were green-lit.
Labour entered power pledging not to approve any more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, but to uphold licences which had already been granted.
Burnham, who entered No 10 last month, is under pressure to re-approve Rosebank and Jackdaw – but campaigners say that would be the wrong move after a summer of heatwaves linked to climate change.
Greenpeace campaigner Maja Darlington said: “The Prime Minister wants to be pragmatic, but there is nothing pragmatic about watching communities be battered by climate chaos while the Prime Minister flirts with expanding the very industry driving it.
“This summer has been an endless showreel of fossil-fuelled disasters playing out across the country. As the Conwy community reels from their own, we’re urging Andy to see through the self-serving promises of Big Oil and take an honest look at the real world consequences of more North Sea drilling.
“More drilling means more heatwaves, more droughts, more wildfires, and more suffering for the communities Burnham represents.”
She added: “Does the Prime Minister really want to stand with the oil companies making billions, rather than the millions already paying the price? Our message is simple: be brave – say no.”
Estimates show that the Rosebank project would generate a total of 254 million tonnes of CO₂ over its lifetime – equivalent to nearly 70% of the UK's entire annual emissions in 2024.
Oxfam research suggests that if both the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields are approved, their combined lifetime emissions would contribute to an estimated 65,495 excess heat deaths globally – equivalent to wiping out the entire population of Inverness.
Adura has said that the Rosebank and Jackdaw projects would result in £10.8 billion of investment, with more than three quarters of the cash expected to be spent in the UK.
Between them, Rosebank and Jackdaw could support 3500 jobs at the peak of construction, with 880 people then employed over the lifetime of production.
Adura added that Rosebank alone is projected to produce about 69,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak, with this the equivalent to roughly 10% of the anticipated output from the UK Continental Shelf.
A spokesperson for the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: “The North Sea remains a vital national asset, supporting jobs, growth and the UK’s energy security.
“We are clear that oil and gas will continue to play an important role in our energy system for decades to come, alongside transitioning to clean power to protect jobs and tackle the climate crisis.”
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