{"id":78283,"date":"2024-06-21T18:36:08","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T18:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/21\/oil-projects-must-consider-full-climate-impact-top-u-k-court-rules\/"},"modified":"2024-06-21T18:36:08","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T18:36:08","slug":"oil-projects-must-consider-full-climate-impact-top-u-k-court-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/21\/oil-projects-must-consider-full-climate-impact-top-u-k-court-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Oil Projects Must Consider Full Climate Impact, Top U.K. Court Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/06\/21\/multimedia\/21xp-ukclimate-flmp\/21xp-ukclimate-flmp-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Oil Projects Must Consider Full Climate Impact, Top U.K. Court Rules\" title=\"Oil Projects Must Consider Full Climate Impact, Top U.K. Court Rules\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Britain\u2019s highest court has ruled that local councils and planning groups must consider the full environmental impact of new fossil fuel projects when deciding whether to approve them, a decision that could have far-reaching consequences and that climate activists hailed as a major victory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In particular, the ruling will make it harder for Britain to move ahead with plans to develop large offshore oil fields in North Sea, including <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/09\/27\/business\/britain-north-sea-oil-drilling.html\" title=\"\">Rosebank, one of the country\u2019s largest undeveloped oil fields<\/a>. Situated off the coast of Scotland, Rosebank contains an estimated 300 million barrels of recoverable oil.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis is hugely significant, not just in the U.K. but in the world,\u201d Annalisa Savaresi, a professor in climate change law at the University of Stirling in Scotland, said of the ruling, which Britain\u2019s Supreme Court handed down on Thursday. \u201cIt\u2019s not the end of oil, but it\u2019s definitely an important procedural step that has been long overdue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Previously, councils and planning groups in Britain were obligated to consider only the planet-warming emissions from their own operations. Now, they will also be required to estimate and disclose the emissions produced by their suppliers or consumers, such as from oil being refined or burned as fuel. Those emissions, produced along what\u2019s known as a company\u2019s \u201cvalue chain,\u201d make up the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions related to oil production.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The case is among a growing number related to climate change that are being decided by <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/21\/world\/europe\/climate-islands-itlos-court-opinion.html\" title=\"\">international tribunals<\/a>, national courts and in <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/08\/14\/us\/montana-youth-climate-ruling.html\" title=\"\">U.S. states<\/a>. In January, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/development-permits-3-norway-oil-gas-fields-are-invalid-court-rules-2024-01-18\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a court in Norway ruled<\/a> that three government-issued permits to develop new oil and gas fields were invalid because the environmental impact had not been sufficiently assessed. And in April, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/09\/world\/europe\/climate-human-rights.html\" title=\"\">Switzerland had failed to meet its targets in reducing carbon emissions<\/a> and must act to address that shortcoming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The ruling in Britain, a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.uk\/cases\/docs\/uksc-2022-0064-press-summary.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">3-to-2 decision by the Supreme Court judges<\/a>, involved a case brought against Surrey County Council, southwest of London, by an environmental campaigner who argued that a proposal for new oil wells needed to take into account the impact of emissions from the use of oil extracted. Justice George Leggatt, who gave the majority opinion, wrote that it was \u201cinevitable\u201d that oil from the site would be burned and therefore needed to be considered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Stephen Sanderson, the chief executive of UK Oil and Gas, a part owner of the Surrey project, said on Thursday the decision was \u201cperplexing\u201d but added that the company would work with the local planning authorities to address the change to requirements.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Jorge Vi\u00f1uales, a professor of law and environmental policy at the University of Cambridge, said the judgment was especially meaningful, even outside the country, because Britain\u2019s Supreme Court is not known for being an activist court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That dynamic, concurred Nikki Reisch, the director of climate and energy for the Center for International Environmental Law in Washington, \u201cgives that much more weight to the conclusions drawn.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission unveiled <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/06\/climate\/sec-climate-disclosure-regulations.html\" title=\"\">a watered-down proposal<\/a> in March that did not require companies to disclose the emissions produced by their suppliers or consumers. Corporations had argued that disclosing full climate impact of their projects would be too complicated and expensive. But Ms. Reisch said that Thursday\u2019s ruling added weight to arguments that U.S. agencies should consider the full life cycle of greenhouse gas emissions as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Climate disasters, exacerbated by the use of fossil fuels, are increasingly taking <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/21\/climate\/heat-deaths-floods-drought.html\" title=\"\">a toll around the world<\/a>, with people facing severe heat, floods and fire.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the past two months alone, dozens of cities in Mexico have broken heat records, killing more than 100 people. Greece is bracing for wildfires, and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/29\/world\/asia\/india-delhi-hottest-day-ever.html\" title=\"\">India has experienced temperatures as high as 126 degrees Fahrenheit<\/a>. In the United States, almost 100 million people are facing <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/20\/us\/heat-wave-temperatures-weather.html\" title=\"\">scorching temperatures<\/a> that are expected to continue through the weekend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The International Energy Agency, the world\u2019s leading energy agency, said in 2021 that oil and gas exploration projects <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/net-zero-by-2050\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">needed to be stopped<\/a> to keep global warming in check by 2050, but oil companies and countries around the world have continued to pursue them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Britain, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has encouraged more oil and gas licenses in the North Sea and has <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/09\/20\/world\/europe\/uk-sunak-climate-change.html\" title=\"\">scaled back his Conservative Party\u2019s climate pledges<\/a> in the run up to a general election that is scheduled for July 4.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The opposition Labour Party, which is expected to secure the most parliamentary seats in that vote, has also <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/21\/world\/europe\/uk-election-labour-party.html\" title=\"\">pared back its ambitious climate policy<\/a> and has vowed <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/labour.org.uk\/change\/make-britain-a-clean-energy-superpower\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">not to revoke existing licenses for oil and gas projects<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The British government last year gave the go-ahead to develop Rosebank, which would provide a boost to Britain\u2019s oil and gas industry and was expected to generate 8.1 billion pounds, or about $10.2 billion, in direct investment and support around 1,600 jobs in the construction phase. Climate activists have lodged legal challenges to government plans, saying that developing Rosebank violates Britain\u2019s climate pledges.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Courts that are reviewing high-profile cases like Rosebank \u201cwill now have to take this into account, which is a big change for them,\u201d said Thomas Hale, a professor focusing on environmental issues at the University of Oxford\u2019s Blavatnik School of Government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Dr. Hale added that as more courts and governments in Europe declare that comprehensive emissions must be considered, the narrower approach taken by oil companies, in which their calculations exclude emissions from the products they sell, looks less viable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cFor investors, that\u2019s a big concern,\u201d Dr. Hale said. \u201cIf you\u2019re thinking about the regulatory pressure a company might face, this is another kind of like warning that the approach they\u2019re taking is not going to be sustainable legally.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/21\/world\/europe\/uk-supreme-court-oil-ruling.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Britain\u2019s highest court has ruled that local councils and planning groups must consider the full environmental impact of new fossil fuel projects when deciding whether to approve them, a decision that could have far-reaching consequences and that climate activists hailed as a major victory. In particular, the ruling will make it harder for Britain to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":78284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/06\/21\/multimedia\/21xp-ukclimate-flmp\/21xp-ukclimate-flmp-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[486,1625,178,6032,1134,8471,899,1846,503],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78283"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78283"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78285,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78283\/revisions\/78285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}