The European Court of Human Rights rejects the climate case against Norway Oil

The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday in favor of the Norwegian Government in a case brought by young activists for climate change who claimed that the country's Arctic oil exploration policy had put their future in danger.

Norway, the largest oil and natural gas producer in western Europe, produces four million barrels equivalent of oil per day. It plans to continue producing hydrocarbons into the future, while supporting efforts worldwide to reduce carbon dioxide emission.

The 2022 lawsuit, filed by six young people in their 20s with Greenpeace and Young Friends of the Earth was part of an expanding branch of law in which plaintiffs take cases to court in order to curb emissions that are responsible for climate change.

The case involves Norway's decision in 2016 to grant 10 exploration permits in the Arctic Barents Sea, which the applicants claim has endangered the environment and denied young people their right to live.

The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights issued a statement saying that it had unanimously ruled there was no violation. (Reporting and editing by Terje Solsvik, Nerijus Adomiaitis)

(source: Reuters)