A Norwegian appeals court ruled on Monday in favor of the government in a case initiated by environmental activists aiming to halt the development of three oil and gas fields.
Greenpeace and other organizations had sued the Norwegian government to prevent the exploitation of these new resources, marking another legal battle linked to global climate change.
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In January, a lower court determined that Norway’s energy ministry had failed to adequately assess the climate impact of future oil and gas use from the fields—specifically, the so-called scope three emissions.
This lawsuit, brought by Greenpeace and its partner Nature and Youth, led to temporary injunctions against the development of the fields known as Yggdrasil, Tyrving, and Breidablikk.
However, in March, the appeals court suspended these injunctions, allowing the government and field operators Aker BP and Equinor to proceed with work on the projects.
Following this, the government requested the appeals court to lift the injunctions as part of its broader effort to overturn the lower court’s ruling.
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In its decision, the appeals court emphasized the importance of democratic considerations and the court’s right of review.
Norway, which relies on oil and gas for approximately a quarter of its gross domestic product, maintains that it can continue to extract hydrocarbons while adhering to the Paris Climate Accords to limit global warming.
Equinor’s Breidablikk field commenced production in October 2023, and Aker BP’s Tyrving began production in September. Both have drawn criticism from environmental activists.