Stockholm, Dec. 22, (dpa/GNA) – Norway’s top court was on Tuesday set to rule on an appeal lodged by conservation groups to block new exploration licences in the Barents Sea off northern Norway.
The plaintiffs, including Greenpeace and the Young Friends of the Earth Norway, have argued that the licences violate an article in the Norwegian constitution which guarantees the right to a healthy and viable environment.
They sued the Norwegian state in 2016. Subsequently, the Grandparents Climate Campaign and Friends of the Earth Norway joined the case.
The Supreme Court held seven days of hearings last month.
“The Supreme Court ruling can make a huge difference for the future of children and young people,” Therese Hugstmyr Woie, leader of Young Friends of the Earth Norway said in a comment ahead of the ruling.
“When we first launched our case against the state four years ago, we were accused of undermining democracy. But now, we have the support of Norway’s national institution for human rights, experts at the UN, and leading environmental legal scholars,” said Frode Pleym, head of Greenpeace Norway.
Two lower Norwegian courts have already rejected their claims. The Borgarting Court of Appeal did so in January in a unanimous ruling.
The state, represented by Attorney General Fredrik Sejerstad, have argued that there had been a thorough vetting process for the permits to explore oil and gas in the Barents Sea.
Similar cases have been launched in other countries. The Dutch Supreme Court last year supported a case launched by environmental group Urgenda aimed at forcing the Dutch government to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
GNA