OMM Newsroom
Norway’s Supreme Court on Friday upheld a ruling that invalidated government approvals for three North Sea oil and gas fields because their environmental impact assessments were inadequate, Anadolu Agency reported.
The case was brought by environmental groups Greenpeace and Nature and Youth, which challenged approvals for the development and operation of the Tyrving, Breidablikk and Yggdrasil fields.
The groups argued that authorities had not adequately assessed the climate impact of emissions produced when oil and gas extracted from the fields are eventually burned.
The Supreme Court ruled that assessments must account for emissions from burning extracted fossil fuels, including emissions released outside Norway, and evaluate their contribution to global warming.
It also ruled that assessments must take into account cumulative emissions from other existing and approved petroleum projects on the Norwegian continental shelf. The requirement was adopted by a six-to-five majority.
The ruling requires the Norwegian government to reassess the approvals, but does not automatically suspend production at the fields.
The state was also ordered to pay Greenpeace and Nature and Youth more than 5 million Norwegian kroner, approximately $500,000, in legal costs.
