Environmentalists Sue Norway Over New Oil Projects

Two environmental groups said Thursday they were suing the Norwegian state for violating the country's human rights commitments and constitution by planning new oil and gas projects worth nearly $19 billion.

The Nordic branch of Greenpeace and Natur og Ungdom, which previously lost a similar lawsuit brought against the state, objected to the planned development of three new oil fields approved by the government.

"The Norwegian government is hellbent on opening new oil fields that will produce fossil fuels decades into the future," the head of Greenpeace Norway, Frode Pleym, said in a statement.

"It is blatantly disregarding the climate, the science, and even our own Supreme Court in its effort to please the oil industry," he added.

Norway's petroleum and energy ministry gave its green light Wednesday to 19 fossil fuel projects worth more than 200 billion kroner ($18.6 billion).

They include the extension of existing oil and gas fields and investments to increase the rate of hydrocarbon recovery in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea, as well as the opening of new fields, including Yggdrasil, which belongs to Norwegian group Aker BP.

The two other fields -- Tyrving, also controlled by Aker BP, and Breidablikk, operated by Norway's Equinor -- had previously received government authorisation.

The government said the projects would boost employment and hone skills, and cited the need for Norway -- which became Europe's biggest gas supplier last year following the war in Ukraine -- to continue supplying energy to the continent.

In December 2020, Norway's Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by Greenpeace and Natur og Ungdom calling for the cancellation of exploration licenses granted in May 2016 to 13 oil companies in the fragile Arctic region.

The court argued that Article 112 of Norway's constitution which guarantees the right to a healthy environment could only be invoked if the state failed to shoulder responsibility for the environment and climate, which it said was not the case.

This time, the two organisations argue climate impact studies on the future oil fields are "either non-existent or highly inadequate".

They also claim the state is violating its obligation to take children's best interests into account, which they say is a violation of both Norway's constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The petroleum and energy ministry disagreed.

"The government is respecting its commitments in the Paris (climate) treaty", state secretary Andreas Bjelland Eriksen said.

"At the same time, we need to contribute to energy security during the transition... The authorisations we have granted ensure that Europe will continue to have access to energy in the future as well".