Source: AFP
A court has begun hearing a case against Norway over oil and gas development plans, with environmental groups saying the country is adding “fuel to the fire” of the climate crisis.
Greenpeace’s Nordic division and Natur og Ungdom, a Norwegian affiliate of Friends of the Earth, are challenging the government’s approval of the development of three new offshore oil and gas fields.
The court case began just two days before the crucial COP28 UN climate negotiations in Dubai.
“Norway should leave oil where it is, but instead, the state is giving future generations the task of further reducing (greenhouse gas) emissions and ever-increasing climate risks,” the head of Natur og Ungdom, Gina Gilver. he told AFP.
“It is obviously in the best interest of children that adults do not cause them extreme weather, health problems, food shortages and refugee crises by pumping more oil than the climate can tolerate,” he said.
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The two organizations have called for an immediate halt to the development of the fields, citing the Norwegian constitution which guarantees the right to a healthy environment and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“We hope the test will put international pressure on Norway to commit to phasing out fossil fuels at the COP in Dubai,” said Greenpeace Norway head Frode Pleym.
“While Norway recognizes the climate crisis, it adds fuel to the fire by opening new oil fields,” he said, calling the country a “climate hypocrite.”
Norway insists it is not violating any rights and says it must guarantee Europe’s energy supply, especially now that it has overtaken Russia as the continent’s biggest gas supplier after the Ukraine war.
“Given where we are today in the European energy system, especially after the war in Ukraine, it’s a good idea, I think, to explore and develop a bit more on the Norwegian continental shelf for a few more years,” Climate said. and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen told AFP.
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Asked if the lawsuit was embarrassing for Norway, especially at the same time as the COP28 talks, he replied: “That’s part of the game when you’re a country governed by the rule of law and democracy.”
The proceedings at the Oslo District Court are expected to continue until December 6.
In December 2020, Norway’s Supreme Court rejected an earlier lawsuit brought by Greenpeace and Natur og Ungdom seeking the annulment of 10 oil exploration licenses granted in 2016 in the Barents Sea in the Arctic.
Source: AFP