Families will gather in Westminster to lobby for an end to all new oil and gas extraction in the UK.
Parents and children from across the country are meeting with MPs on Tuesday to share their concerns about the impact fossil fuel expansion will have on future generations.
Green group Parents for Future have organised the “family lobby” – a nationwide initiative which will also see parents seeking to meet local MPs throughout the week to encourage their support for a just transition to renewable energy.
Green Party leader Carla Denyer and Conservative MP Alberto Costa are set to attend the meeting in the Palace of Westminster, the campaigners said, while others such as junior energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh and Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse have been invited.
Charlotte Howell, Parents for Future co-director, said: “Families across the UK are already experiencing the impacts of climate change, whether its homes being flooded or school closures from extreme weather events.
“Parents are increasingly aware of the direct link to drilling fossil fuels and the scientific consensus that it has to stop.”
Ms Howell argued that continuing drilling “no longer makes moral or economic sense” and that ending new oil and gas is “long overdue”.
“We refuse to stand by while our children’s futures are put at risk by more fossil fuel expansion,” she added.
The campaigners will urge MPs to prioritise the ruling out of drilling Rosebank – the UK’s largest undeveloped oil field in the North Sea amid an ongoing tussle over approval for its development.
Extraction was initially approved by the previous Conservative government before a Scottish court ruled the decision unlawful on the basis that climate-warming emissions caused by burning Rosebank’s reserves were not taken into account.
The current Labour Government will be making decisions on Rosebank and other new fossil fuel projects after a consultation concludes in spring.
Parents for Future also cited recent Opinium survey of around 1,000 parents which found more than 80% are concerned about the impact of the climate crisis on their children’s future.
Another Opinium poll also found that 75% of parents said their kids have shared concerns about climate change.
Television presenter Laura Hamilton who is supporting the campaign said: “As a parent, I want to know that we are doing everything we can to protect our children.
“Our kids deserve a safe, healthy planet to grow up in, and I fully support Parents For Future in calling time on fossil fuels.”
PA has contacted the Energy Department for comment.
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