Green groups appeal to court to stop Arctic oil drilling in Norway

Green groups have appealed to the Norwegian Appeals Court on November 5 that the government has breached the constitution by permitting oil firms' exploration rights in its Arctic waters. Greenpeace, Norway's Nature and  Youth Group lodged a complaint against the Norwegian state in 2016 in a lower court to find and stop Arctic Oil drilling but lost the case in 2018. The plaintiffs were concerned about the emerging levels of global warming and filed the case to limit the global temperatures.

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Win in the case will have a resulting impact: Plaintiffs

The plaintiffs said that a win in the case could set an example for other climate cases globally which will have a resulting impact on exploration in Western Europe's biggest oil and gas producer. Frode Pleym, head of Greenpeace Norway said that their case stands stronger than before with reference to the latest UN climate reports and increased public concerns over the Arctic oil drillings. Article 112 of their constitution states that every person has a right to a healthy and sustainable environment and also guarantees the right of future generations.

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Plaintiffs criticize Norway's decision to explore oil 

They also criticized Norway's decision to continue exploration for oil and gas which also violates the Paris Climate Agreement. Norway exports half of its oil and gas which helped build it is $1 trillion making it one of the world's largest. The activists stated that the government will defend the state in the appeal as it did in the previous round of the case. The oil and energy ministry requested to comment to the Attorney General who refused to comment before the beginning of the appeal. The oil industry contributes one-fourth of Norway’s domestic greenhouse gas emissions, which stood at 52 million tonnes last year, which is a 1 per cent increase compared to 1990, according to a statistical survey.

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