Norway rejects Greenpeace appeal over Arctic oil exploration

Norway’s supreme court on Tuesday approved government plans for oil exploration in the Barents Sea off the country’s northern coast, rejecting a lawsuit by environmental groups.

The groups, including Greenpeace, had claimed the oil licenses breached an article in the Norwegian constitution which guarantees the right to a healthy and viable environment.

“The supreme court is rejecting the appeal,” Chief Justice Toril Marie Oeie said as she announced the verdict on Tuesday.

The Nature and Youth advocacy group denounced the ruling in a tweet: “This means today’s youth lacks fundamental legal protection from environmental damage jeopardizing our future… This is shocking and we are furious.”