Fossil fuel opponents score victory in a UK Supreme Court ruling on case near a London airport
The U.K. Supreme Court has ruled that planners reviewing well-drilling permits must consider the environmental impact from burning the oil that would be produced
LONDON — Fossil fuel opponents won a major victory Thursday as the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that planners reviewing well-drilling permits must consider the greenhouse gas emissions from burning the extracted oil.
A woman had challenged a decision by Surrey County Council south of London to allow additional oil wells at a site called Horse Hill near London Gatwick Airport.
Sarah Finch, acting on behalf of Weald Action Group, argued that the environmental impact assessment conducted before the permit was approved had failed by only considering emissions from extracting the oil. She argued it should also have considered the future emissions, when the oil produced over 20 years was burned.
The Supreme Court agreed in 3-2 decision.
“The council’s failure to assess the effect on climate of the combustion of the oil that would be produced from the proposed well site means that its decision to grant planning permission for the project was unlawful,” the court said.
Finch, who had lost at the High Court and Court of Appeal, called the ruling “a massive vindication" and said she was “over the moon.”
“In climate science we hear a lot about tipping points, Amazon deforestation, melting permafrost, things that accelerate global warming in an unpredictable and frightening way," she said. «Today we’ve seen a tipping point in the other direction. No longer will any planning authority be allowed to wave through fossil fuel production without fully considering the climate impact.”
The victory comes as the number of climate-related court cases has more than doubled since 2017,
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