On Friday, the Norwegian government lost an appeal case concerning permits for three oil fields in the North Sea.
The case concerns the Breidablikk, Tyrving, and Yggdrasil oil fields.
At the heart of the case is the government’s assessment of the climate impact of combustion emissions from the oil fields that the environmental organizations Greenpeace and Natur og Ungdom believe to be inadequate.
And the court has agreed with the NGOs.
The government must therefore re-examine the climate impact and pay close to NOK 7 million (EUR 596,381.66) in legal costs.
The case has been heard as an appeal in the Norwegian Court of Appeal after the government appealed the original decision from the District Court. Here, the environmental organizations also won their case.
The Court of Appeal considers that the climate impact has not been sufficiently investigated or assessed, according to the court’s press office.
Furthermore, the permits do not meet the requirements for case processing under the EU Project Directive and the European Convention on Human Rights.
In short, the permits for the establishment and operation of the three oil fields are invalid, the court concluded.
The head of Greenpeace in Norway, Frode Pleym, is relieved and pleased with the ruling, but adds that it comes as no surprise.
“More and more courts, both in Norway and internationally, are exercising their responsibility to protect people from dangerous climate change caused by the oil industry.”
Pleym adds that environmental organizations expect the operation of the oil fields to be suspended immediately.
However, it is not certain that this will be the case. In any event, it is not a requirement of the court.
According to Reuters, the ruling states that the state has six months to rectify the deficiencies, and during that period, operations may continue.
One of the reasons the court is not demanding that oil production cease immediately is to ensure security of supply in Europe, the court has stated.
Norway produces two percent of the world’s oil and became the largest supplier of natural gas to Europe after the EU cut imports from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
This article was provided by our Danish sister media, EnergiWatch.dk. English edit by Christian Radich Hoffman.
