Norway has won a climate case at Europe’s top human rights court after six young activists challenged the country’s Arctic oil plans. The judges found that while Norway’s licensing system wasn’t perfect, it offered enough safeguards to protect human rights and the environment.
The case was filed by six young Norwegians who argued that expanding fossil fuel development in the Arctic would put their futures at risk and fail Norway’s duty to protect people from climate change. They said they had grown up seeing the effects of a warming world, such as shorter winters and melting glaciers.
However, the judges took a different view, saying that Norway’s approval system already had enough checks in place to prevent serious harm. The court noted that exploration and production happen in separate phases, with no drilling allowed until a full environmental review and public consultation are carried out later on.
The judges found that Norway’s overall system met its human rights obligations, despite acknowledging some shortcomings in the 2016 review. They pointed out that the country requires environmental checks, public input, and legal oversight at each step of the petroleum process, which provided sufficient safeguards to prevent harm.
Greenpeace Nordic disagrees with the court’s approach, saying that Norway falls short in practice. However, the judges emphasized the need for any review to rely on current, reliable data and consider the combined impact of all future projects together.
The court drew a sharp line between this case and earlier climate rulings that dealt with governments allowing pollution that posed an immediate danger to people’s lives. They explained that human rights protections only apply when a government’s actions create a clear and immediate threat – which is not the case in Norway’s Arctic oil plans.
Source: https://www.courthousenews.com/climate-fears-fall-short-as-european-court-clears-norways-oil-plans