Norwegian Appeals Court Backs Government in Oil Fields Dispute

A Norwegian appeals court ruled in favor of the government against environmental activists seeking a temporary injunction on developing oil and gas fields. This overturns a previous ruling and allows field operators to continue work amid ongoing legal challenges from Greenpeace and Nature and Youth.

The Norwegian appeals court sided with the government on Monday in a high-profile case against environmental activists. The activists had sought a temporary injunction to halt the development of three new oil and gas fields, arguing their impact on climate change had not been fully assessed.

In September, the government requested the appeals court to overturn earlier verdicts which had prevented the development of these fields on environmental grounds. Previously, a lower court ruled that Norway's energy ministry did not adequately evaluate future emissions, commonly referred to as scope three emissions, in a case brought forward by Greenpeace and Nature and Youth.

The January decision had enforced injunctions halting the development of the Yggdrasil, Tyrving, and Breidablikk fields. However, the recent appeals court ruling lifts these injunctions, granting the government and field operators Aker BP and Equinor the opportunity to proceed with work on the fields.

(With inputs from agencies.)