Norway’s top court today opened a hearing on an appeal lodged by conservation groups to block new exploration license in the Barents Sea off northern Norway.
The plaintiffs, including Greenpeace and the Young Friends of the Earth Norway, have argued that the licenses violated an article in the Norwegian constitution, known as article 112, guaranteeing 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.
International climate researchers have warned of the effects of global warming, ranging from rising sea levels to heat waves and the acidification of oceans that absorb carbon dioxide and can affect fish stocks, she said in her opening statement.
Exploiting oil and gas from the new areas in the Barents Sea could also make it easier for other Arctic states to drill for oil, Hambro noted.
The conservation groups claim that if Norway continues to explore and drill for oil and gas, it will not be able to meet its pledge of reducing emissions under the 2015 Paris Agreement aimed at mitigating global warming.
Two lower Norwegian courts have already rejected their claims; the Borgarting Court of Appeal did so in January in a unanimous ruling.
