Local British authorities are not allowed to ignore the long-term climate impacts of fossil fuel extraction projects in their approval procedures. The decision is considered far-reaching.
Local authorities in the UK must take into account the long-term impacts on the climate when approving fossil fuel projects. This was decided by the British Supreme Court in London.
The judges thus overturned two previous decisions that had been in favour of a district administration in the county of Surrey. The administration had approved an oil extraction project in a planning approval procedure and had only taken into account the environmental impacts of the extraction itself, but not of the subsequent burning of the oil.
Greenhouse gases direct consequences of oil production
A local resident filed a lawsuit against this – and has now won in the highest court. The burning of extracted oil is unavoidable and the greenhouse gases released in the process are “direct consequences of the project,” said one of the judges in justification.
According to British commentators, the ruling could have far-reaching consequences for new gas and oil production projects in Great Britain. The basis for the decision is a law that was introduced when Britain was still a member of the EU and is based on an EU directive. It is therefore expected that the ruling could indirectly affect other European countries.
Source: Stern
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