Norway asks Supreme Court to reverse environmental verdict against oilfields

The Norwegian government will ask the supreme court on Monday to overturn a lower-court ruling that found three oilfield permits invalid because they did not take climate into consideration. The case pits environmental groups against Norway's oil industry which provides half of the country's revenue as well as government policy to prolong extraction of natural gas and crude for many decades. Since Greenpeace and Young Friends of the Earth first brought the case before a court in 2023, two lower courts have ruled that Norway did not properly assess the impact of the three oil fields.

The case involves Equinor’s Breidablikk, and Aker BP’s Tyrving and Yggdrasil Fields. Of these fields, the?first and second are already in production and the third will be?coming on stream next year.

Green campaigners claim that the government did not consider the climate impact from the burning of oil and gas fields, also known as Scope 3 emission, and that any attempts to rectify the situation at a later date were invalid.

The lower courts, however, have declined to order the production to stop while the legal proceedings are ongoing. They have also suggested the government could'seek to remedy regulatory deficiencies.

The Office of the Attorney General stated in a note to the court before Monday's hearing that "the state will argue the?additional assessment?of foreign emission now clearly meets all the requirements."

Norway is a major energy provider. It produces around 2% of the world's oil, and after Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022 it became Europe's biggest supplier of natural gases. The hearing at the?supreme courts is scheduled to last four days and a decision is expected later in this year. (Reporting and editing by Stephen Coates; Terje Solsvik)

(source: Reuters)