Norway top court rules oil licences invalid in landmark ruling

OSLO: Norway's Supreme Court on Friday ruled that three oil licences granted by the government in the North Sea were invalid since their emissions impact had not adequately been accounted for. The court agreed with climate campaigners, who challenged the validity of the licences, arguing that the environmental impact assessments had not considered the emissions from burning the oil after it had been extracted. 'This is a historic victory for the climate and for Norwegian democracy,' Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle, head of the Norwegian wing of Greenpeace, said shortly after the ruling was announced.
For the highly anticipated decision, the court sat in plenary formation, meaning that 11 judges took part instead of the usual five - a format reserved for important cases. The campaigners had already won victories in two lower-court rulings. The high court ruled that the plans for extraction and expansion were 'invalid due to procedural errors'.
It noted in a statement that while emissions assessments were carried out, they only covered so-called production emissions and not the subsequent 'combustion emissions'. According to the court, 'the combustion emissions resulting from petroleum production must be subject to an impact assessment' before a plan is approved. 'Big polluters are now forced to admit exactly how much they will contribute to the climate crisis that we are in the middle of,' Tjeldflaat Helle said.
The Supreme Court noted that the oil companies were not parties in the case and said the fact that the approvals had been declared invalid did not automatically mean the licences ceased to apply. 'The ministry must, however, reassess the case on the basis of proper procedure,' the court said.
Norway's energy ministry had maintained that it had carried out adequate environmental assessments for the North Sea licences. Norwegian Energy Minister Terje Aasland stressed ahead of the ruling that his country is contributing to the fight against climate change in line with its international commitments.