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Peter Davidson

Nicola Sturgeon avoids question after being confronted at COP27 over North Sea oilfield

Nicola Sturgeon has been confronted by climate activists at COP27 calling for the First Minister to oppose a new oilfield in the North Sea.

The SNP leader attended the climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, this week where she met world leaders to discuss the current crisis.

Following a fringe event in the north African country activist Wiktoria Jedroszkowiak asked Sturgeon about her views on the Rosebank oilfield off the coast of Shetland.

The project is part of the UK Government's drive for more UK oil and gas in a bid to reduce the reliance on imports following the Ukraine War.

It is believed the £8.1 billion field west of Shetland could hold around 300 million barrels of oil with production targeted for 2026.

Wiktoria, from the Stop Rosebank group, filmed herself asking the First Minister her views on the oilfield. She says : "A very quick question. I'm Wiktoria I'm a climate activist and my friends from Scotland, they are very concerned about the Rosebank oilfield. I want to ask you if you have any opinion on that.

Sturgeon replies: "I do, I need to go just now."

Wiktoria adds: "It was very important when you said no to Cambo last year."

The FM says: "My views on these things are really clear, I think we've got to move away from fossil fuels we've got to do that in just way which is why we're talking about it. Your friends in Scotland speak to me about these things regularly."

Wiktoria asks Sturgeon as she walks off: "Are you going to say no to the Rosebank oilfield?"

The Stop Rosebank group posted a video of the exchange between Wiktoria and Sturgeon on Twitter with the caption: "Activist confronts @NicolaSturgeon at #COP27 about the Rosebank oil field in the UK which would create as much CO2 as 28 countries in the Global South do annually. Climate targets mean nothing if politicians aren’t willing to walk the talk. Step 1: Commit to #StopRosebank."

At the COP26 summit in Glasgow last year Sturgeon called on then Prime Minister Boris Johnson to "reassess" licences already issued across the country.

In a bid to tackle global warming she said the Cambo oilfield off Shetland should "not get the green light". Following the conference Shell withdrew from the development which sent shockwaves through the industry.

After the outbreak of war in Ukraine UK authorities granted the oilfield a licence extension in March.

Speaking following the interaction, Wiktoria, of Fridays For Future Eastern Europe, said: "When I spoke to Scotland’s First Minister, she did not give me a straight answer on her position on the Rosebank field.

"I know how important it is for political leaders to do everything they can to stop new fossil fuels like this from going ahead. The development may be off the coast of Scotland but new oil and gas is simply pouring fuel on the fire of the climate crisis which is already causing massive harm around the world, and further threatening young peoples' future."

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