European court upheld the arguments advanced by Norwegian activists against his government, claiming that ‘allowing new drillings’ on its Arctic territory would violate basic human rights; The case may have international repercussions on the discovery of the Arctic Circle.
The search for natural resources and the need for alternative energy sources is a recurring theme around the world, especially when many countries face an energy crisis, as in recent months.
The Arctic is a region of the planet that is predicted to have significant – and unexplored – amounts of oil and gas.
- What is the last Arctic ice region that holds the key to the future of life on Earth?
- Why does the ‘atlantification’ of the Arctic Ocean worry scientists so much?
However, access to these resources is a controversial issue due to the environmental damage and territorial disputes it can cause.
There is only one pending lawsuit to decide whether energy companies have the right to drill through the Arctic ice sheets in search of oil and gas.
This is a case filed by a group of environmental activists against the Norwegian government in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for exploitation in the Arctic.
This situation may show to what extent it will be possible to benefit from natural resources in this area in the future.
Who owns the Arctic and how many resources does it have?
The Arctic Circle, located at Earth’s Arctic, may contain approximately 160 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 30% natural gas, according to estimates of the US Geological Survey.
Countries with land or territorial waters within the Arctic Circle are Norway, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, the United States, Canada and Denmark (which also owns Greenland).
Because the Arctic is a predominantly water region, there are no international treaties protecting it from economic development, as in the case of Antarctica at the South Pole.
Global warming has melted part of the planet’s far north, making it easier to drill, explore and extract resources.
What does the Norwegian case consist of?
Norway is the largest oil producer in Western Europe. Since 2016, the government has granted a series of licenses to explore oil and gas resources in the Barents Sea, inside the Arctic Circle.
But in 2021, six young Norwegians and two environmental groups, Greenpeace Nordic and Young Friends of the Earth, decided to go to the European court to stop the concessions.
Activists argue that “by allowing new drilling during a climate crisis, Norway violates basic human rights”.
They say drilling in the Arctic could contaminate the polar ice sheets and increase the rate of melting.
Young people refer to Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to life, and Article 8, which protects the right to family life and housing.
“By complaining, we may have a chance to stop this disastrous oil drilling,” says Mia Chamberlain, one of the activists.
Lasse Eriksen Bjoern, an activist for the indigenous Sami people in northern Norway, told Reuters news agency that drilling could harm fisheries and their way of life.
Three Norwegian courts dismissed the complaint, but the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France decided to consider the case and asked the Norwegian government to take a stand on the activists’ allegations.
Norway responded on 26 April by saying it can continue to explore oil and gas without impacting its zero carbon emissions target by 2050.
He also added that stopping oil and gas production before more reliable renewable energy is available would be detrimental to Norwegian society. The government also asked the court to drop the case, saying that the demand for resources from Norway would increase due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The ECtHR is considering making this an “effects case”, meaning it could set a precedent for similar cases in the European Union. If so, there may be a penalty in the next few months.
In recent years, environmental activists have increasingly taken to court to force governments and companies to take a greener approach.
In 2021, a Dutch court ruled that by 2030, Royal Dutch Shell’s emissions should be 45% lower than in 2019 – a much larger reduction than the company had previously promised. The case was presented by the NGO Friends of the Earth.
Three years ago, Colombia’s supreme court ordered the government to take urgent action to stop the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, alleging it restricts children’s rights to a healthy environment.
Who else is drilling in the Arctic?
Russian oil companies have been operating in the Arctic for more than ten years. In 2020, a major diesel oil spill occurred in the Arctic region.
The United States is considering allowing oil companies to drill in northern Alaska despite the catastrophic oil spill from the Exxon Valdez oil tanker in Alaska in 1989.
What rights do Arctic countries have?
All countries with territory in the Arctic Circle have rights over the ocean floor near their coasts.
They can also establish exclusive economic zones up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the coast.
They have the right to fish, build infrastructure and extract natural resources in these areas.
Countries can expand these zones if they show that their landmass descends further into the water.
There is currently a dispute over a 1,721-kilometer-long mountain chain under the sea that crosses the Arctic, called the Lomonosov Range.
Canada, Russia and Greenland claim this territory as their own. Whoever wins can claim 55,000 square miles of sea around the Arctic.
In 2007, Russian explorers alarmed their Arctic neighbors by planting their national flag at the bottom of the Arctic sea.
source: Noticias
