Euronews article - Fossil fuel projects face stricter scrutiny after Europe’s top human rights court ruling

Norway must complete environment assessments before future drilling projects, court rules

Copyright Jan-Rune Smenes Reite/Pexels
By Craig Saueurs

Published on 30/10/2025 - 8:03 GMT+1

The case worked its way through European legal systems for nearly a decade before the ruling.
The European Court of Human Rights has just set a new precedent for climate accountability in a landmark ruling.

In Greenpeace Nordic and Others v. Norway, two NGOs, Greenpeace Nordic and Nature and Youth, along with six activists, argued that Norway’s decision to grant licences for oil exploration in the Barents Sea violated their human rights by failing to assess the climate impact of fossil fuel extraction.
Euronews article - Fossil fuel projects face stricter scrutiny after Europe’s top human rights court ruling Norway must complete environment assessments before future drilling projects, court rules Copyright Jan-Rune Smenes Reite/Pexels By Craig Saueurs Published on 30/10/2025 - 8:03 GMT+1 The case worked its way through European legal systems for nearly a decade before the ruling. The European Court of Human Rights has just set a new precedent for climate accountability in a landmark ruling. In Greenpeace Nordic and Others v. Norway, two NGOs, Greenpeace Nordic and Nature and Youth, along with six activists, argued that Norway’s decision to grant licences for oil exploration in the Barents Sea violated their human rights by failing to assess the climate impact of fossil fuel extraction.