Thom Yorke, Brian Eno and Over 200 Musicians Sign Open Letter Demanding UK Block Oil Field Project

An open letter is zeroing in on one person's role. Written by Brian Eno and addressed to UK Energy Secretary Andy Burnham—a politician who once shared a stage with Massive Attack and signed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty on behalf of Greater Manchester—the letter demands he take a public stand between the fossil fuel industry and the people bearing the brunt of climate consequences.

The letter went public on Monday, August 17, coordinated by climate advocacy group Uplift and released through the music and climate foundation co-founded by Eno,Earth/PercentThe letter, bluntly titled "Stop Rosebank," carries more than 200 signatures including Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, guitarist Ed O'Brien, drummer Philip Selway, The Cure's Robert Smith, members of Massive Attack, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, plus Paris Paloma, Jacob Collier, Anna Calvi, The xx's Romy Croft, Years & Years' Olly Alexander, and Imogen Heap.

Rosebank is currently the UK's largest undeveloped oil and gas field, located 80 miles off the coast of Scotland's Shetland Islands, and has been at the center of a two-decade-plus battle involving business interests, political maneuvering, and legal challenges. The then-Conservative government approved the development in 2023, sparking immediate pushback from environmental groups. In early 2025, a Scottish court ruled that the government's original approval process—specifically its environmental impact assessment—was unlawful, prompting the UK government to agree to restart the approval process under revised conditions. The new application is currently under review, with a government decision on whether to greenlight the project expected soon.

The open letter directly addresses two arguments commonly made by industry—job creation and energy security. It points out that most of the crude extracted from Rosebank will be exported, meaning it "will not bring bills down or make a material difference to the UK's energy security," and notes that North Sea jobs have dropped by more than half over the past decade despite new fields continuing to receive approval during that time. The letter closes by calling on the government to "side with the majority of people who are anxious about a warming world and demanding action."

"Expanding fossil fuel production at this point isn't pragmatism—it's denial," Eno said in a statement. He expressed hope that Burnham would show the same leadership by "rejecting Rosebank and investing in the clean, safe energy system we desperately need."

A spokesperson for the UK's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero responded: "The North Sea remains a vital national asset that supports jobs, economic growth, and the UK's energy security. We've been clear that oil and gas will continue to play an important role in the energy system for decades to come, while we also work toward a clean energy transition that safeguards jobs and tackles the climate crisis." We have reached out to Burnham's office for further comment.

The letter also cites the extreme heat, droughts, and wildfires the UK has experienced this year, with the Met Office forecasting that summer 2026 could break all-time temperature records. The music industry has already felt the impact: festivals including Spain's Primavera Sound, Belgium's Paradise City, and France's Garorock have all been affected by heat, while the Netherlands' Defqon.1 festival had to evacuate 50,000 attendees due to extreme temperatures. The full list of signatories is available on the Earth/Percent website.