Environmental campaigners gathered in Poole to protest against new oil and gas projects.
On Saturday, September 13, groups including Extinction Rebellion BCP, Bournemouth & Poole Greenpeace, and the BCP Green Party held a demonstration on Poole Quay, calling for an end to fossil fuel development and urging a transition to renewable energy.
The protest focused on the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas projects, which are currently under government review following a 2025 court ruling that required fresh environmental assessments.
Daniel Glennon, co-ordinator of Extinction Rebellion BCP, said: "After a summer of heatwaves, drought and wildfires, it is astonishing that we are still having to argue against opening new oil and gas fields.
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"Rosebank and Jackdaw are not the future we need.
"We need to stop pretending that more fossil fuel extraction is a solution to high energy bills or energy security.
"Today was about saying that we are not prepared to accept business as usual."
The event featured drumming, chanting, placards, and a public engagement stall run by Greenpeace.
The stall included a True or False: Heatwave Edition quiz designed to challenge misconceptions about fossil fuels and energy.
Simon O'Connor, co-ordinator of Bournemouth & Poole Greenpeace, said: "The climate crisis isn't something happening somewhere else or at some point in the distant future.
"We have just lived through another summer of extreme heat and increasingly visible climate impacts.
"The answer is clear: we need to move away from fossil fuels, not lock ourselves into more of them.
"Rosebank and Jackdaw belong in the past, not in Britain's energy future."
Chants from the crowd included "No more oil, no more gas, we don't want a climate crash," and "Listen up, listen good – stop Rosebank, like you should."
Roger Mann, a local Green Party activist, said: "People are rightly concerned about the cost of living, energy bills, and the future of our communities.
"But new oil and gas won't solve those problems.
"We should be putting our investment into renewable energy, warmer and more efficient homes, and the infrastructure we need for a genuinely sustainable future."
The demonstrators argued that the UK should prioritise a "rapid and just transition" away from fossil fuels, focusing on clean energy while supporting workers and communities currently reliant on the industry.
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