Oslo District Court decided in favour of Norway’s government this week, after environmental groups Greenpeace and Nature and Youth, sued the government in an attempt to restrain oil drilling in Norway’s Arctic waters.
Namely, the two environmental groups, sued the Norwegian government, saying that its acts are unconstitutional and do not comply with the Paris Agreement, in which Norway participates.
The Oslo District Court ruled that the country did not act unlawfully, after awarding exploration licenses in the Arctic Barents Sea to Statoil ASA and Chevron. Furthermore, it added that Norway’s decision does not pose a significant risk for environmental damage and there are enough curative measure, ordering the two groups pay $72,000 in court costs, according to Bloomberg.
Greenpeace will now decide whether or not to appeal the court’s decision.
This lawsuit by Greenpeace and Nature and Youth was unprecedented in Norway and had as an aim to show that Norway did not held its climate change commitments.
Norway wants to further explore the Barents Sea, as it is thought to have half of the country’s undiscovered resources and can prevent another drop in oil production during the next decade, Bloomberg concluded.
