UK Court Blocks 2 Major North Sea Oil & Gas Projects Over Climate Concerns

A Scottish court has ruled that the UK government’s approval for two major North Sea oil and gas projects was unlawful.

The decision, which came on Thursday, is a victory for environmental campaigners and raises questions about the future of fossil fuel developments in the UK.

The ruling affects Shell and Equinor’s Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, which have already been approved for development.

The Court of Session in Edinburgh determined that the government failed to consider the downstream emissions produced when the oil and gas were used—when it approved these projects.

Greenpeace and the environmental group Uplift challenged the approvals, arguing that these emissions should be taken into account under UK climate change law.

Judge Andrew Stewart, who presided over the case, said the public interest in addressing climate change outweighed the private interest of developers.

He ruled that the decisions to approve the projects must be reassessed by the government, although the companies are allowed to continue some work, such as drilling wells until a final decision is made. However, the companies cannot begin extracting oil or gas until new approvals are granted.

A Shell spokesperso…

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