Norway challenges climate injunction blocking three oil fields

Norway, Europe’s leading oil producer, finds itself in a legal tug-of-war over the development of three oil fields: Yggdrasil, Tyrving and Breidablikk.
These projects, supported by the Ministry of Energy, were blocked after a court ruling in January invalidated the operating permits for insufficient assessment of climate impacts, in particular “scope 3” emissions, which include emissions generated by the use of extracted oil and gas. Greenpeace and Nature and Youth, who initiated the lawsuit, believe that these assessments are crucial if Norway is to meet its climate commitments.
The Norwegian government has appealed this decision and asked the Court of Appeal to lift the injunctions blocking development of the fields.
According to Goeran Oesterman Thengs, a lawyer representing the state, the necessary conditions for an injunction have not been met.
He argues that the potential economic losses for the state and the fields’ operators, Aker BP and Equinor, outweigh the environmental benefits put forward by environmental organizations.