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Oslo, Norway - - Today the Norwegian Supreme Court ruled in the People Vs Arctic Oil case, in which environmental and youth organizations have sued the Norwegian state for opening up to new oil wells in the Arctic. The verdict was mixed. Four judges believed that the oil licenses in the Arctic should be invalid for climatic reasons, but the majority voted for the Norwegian state.
Full verdict (in Norwegian) Here.
“We are outraged by this judgment, which leaves young people and future generations without constitutional protection. The Supreme Court chooses loyalty to Norwegian oil over our rights to a future worth living. The youth in Norway fighting against oil drilling in the Arctic are used to being disappointed and we will continue our fight. On the street, in voting booths and, if necessary, in court, ”said Therese Hugstmyr Woie, director of Young Friends of the Earth Norway.
Four of the 15 judges considered that the oil licenses were invalid due to procedural errors that influenced the decision to open up for oil wells and that it was a mistake that possible future global greenhouse gas emissions were not included in the underlying impact assessment.
“It is absurd that our right to a livable environment cannot be used to stop Norway's most harmful activities to our climate and our environment. We share the outrage that Norwegian youth will feel before this decision. It's a disappointment, but we won't be put off. We are now going to look at all possible ways to stop this harmful industry, including filing a motion with the European Court of Human Rights, ”said Frode Pleym, Head of Greenpeace Norway.
The Norwegian government faced serious problems Criticism from the UN and was met with massive protests for its exploration for more oil. The country recently took its place on the UN Human Development Ranking Because of the oil industry's large carbon footprint, which threatens people's quality of life.
One recently Opinion poll Norway also shows that a majority of the Norwegian population believes that oil exploration in the Arctic should be stopped for climate and environmental reasons, and a majority supports a ruling in favor of limiting oil and gas exploration for climate reasons.
“The Court has let the government off the hook at this point, but leaves the door open for an assessment of the climate impact, including post-export emissions, in the later production phase. This should be a warning to the oil industry. Currently, no oil producing country has a credible position on the climate without stopping exploration for new oil and putting in place a plan for the retirement of the industry. “Said Frode Pleym, Head of Greenpeace Norway.
While Norway has continued to expand oil exploration in the Arctic, is its neighbor Denmark, the largest oil producer in the EU, immediately stopped new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea as part of a plan to end fossil fuel mining by 2050. US President-elect Joe Biden is calling for this a moratorium on offshore oil exploration in the Arctic in its climate plan for the US and seeks cooperation from Norway and the rest of the Arctic Council.
In 2016, Young Friends of the Earth, Norway and Greenpeace Nordic filed a lawsuit against the Norwegian government over the allocation of new oil wells in the Barents Sea. The Norwegian grandparents' climate protection campaign and Friends of the Earth Norway have since joined the case as third party supporters. The organizations believe that drilling for oil in the Arctic violates section 112 of the Norwegian Constitution, which states that citizens have the right to a safe and healthy environment and that the state must take action to ensure that right. The case was tried in the Oslo District Court in 2017 and the Court of Appeal in 2019 before reaching the Supreme Court in November 2020.
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Photos: Greenpeace
