The Upside - Issue 34
Another (huge) climate litigation win, restaurant chains making the change and solar panels doing the most - lots to be positive about.
Rosebank oil field go-ahead decision ruled unlawful by Edinburgh court
Rosebank is the UK’s largest untapped oil field, located about 80 miles off the coast of Shetland and estimated to contain around 300 million barrels of recoverable oil. The project has been at the centre of climate litigation in recent years, particularly since the previous UK government approved drilling in 2023—a move widely criticized as a backward step, given that no new oil and gas extraction can occur if global temperature rises are to be limited to 1.5°C.
However, in a landmark victory for climate activism, an Edinburgh court ruled last week that the development of Rosebank was unlawful, as authorities had failed to consider the carbon emissions resulting from burning the extracted oil and gas. Phillip Evans from Greenpeace stated, “The age of governments approving new drilling sites by ignoring their climate impacts is over.”
The government had justified its approval of Rosebank by claiming it would lower energy bills and enhance national energy security. However, the project is being developed by Norwegian energy giant Equinor, which has stated that, following standard UK practice, 80% of the oil would be exported to the open market. This means Rosebank would have done nothing to improve UK energy security or reduce bills, while contributing over 200 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions. As a result, its cancellation marks a major win for both people and the planet.
Wahaca pledges to use regenerative beef
Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca is setting an example by transforming how it sources and serves beef. In 2023, the company removed steak dishes from its menu entirely due to their high carbon footprint and has since been searching for ways to reduce the impact of its remaining beef dishes. This effort recently led to a partnership with Grassroots Farms to ensure that all beef served from now on is regeneratively farmed. This approach prioritises animal welfare, biodiversity, and the preservation of soil, air, and water quality.
The shift is already delivering significant environmental benefits, with Wahaca’s beef-related carbon footprint reduced by 60% and its total company emissions cut by 11% over the past few years.
With other major chains, such as Nando’s, under pressure from campaigns urging them to rethink their destructive, polluting farming practices, they could take a page from Wahaca’s book. As Wahaca’s founder put it, restaurants should strive to “eat with nature, not against it.”
Please take a look at River Action UK’s campaign urging Nando’s to clean up its farming practices and sign the letter to their CEO!
Solar panels provide more than just clean energy
Last week, I came across three uplifting stories about solar panels—here’s a quick summary:
A study by the Resolution Foundation found that installing solar panels on the rooftops of lower-income households could lift 1.2 million UK families out of fuel poverty, with these households seeing potential savings of up to 25% on energy bills.
The world now installs one gigawatt of solar capacity every day—a milestone that used to take an entire year in the early 2000s. This rapid expansion has been driven by a 95% drop in the cost of solar energy since 2001.
A study by the RSPB in East Anglia found that solar farms support more bird species per hectare than surrounding farmland, demonstrating that when managed properly, solar farms can enhance biodiversity rather than harm it.
For the first time, Europe produced more energy from solar than from coal last year, and these three stories show that with this expansion, we get clean energy, reduced people in fuel poverty, and improved biodiversity—what’s not to love?
Beavers beat the bureaucracy
A little bonus story as it was too funny not to share. The local government of Brdy in the Czech Republic secured £1m in funding to build a dam in a protected area, helping to create a wetland and boost biodiversity in the region. However, due to bureaucracy the project has been stalled for the past seven years, until last month, when two beavers made their way into the area and built the dam in just two days, saving the government their £1m and solving a seven year stand off. As the Czech Nature and Landscape Protection Agency put it, “beavers know best”.