Greenpeace Takes UK Government To Court Over Oil Drilling Permit

Greenpeace on Wednesday took the UK government to court in Scotland for granting British Petroleum (BP) permit to drill for oil in the North Sea, in the first time an offshore oil licence has ever been legally challenged, the UK branch of the environmental group confirmed

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2021) Greenpeace on Wednesday took the UK government to court in Scotland for granting British Petroleum (BP) permit to drill for oil in the North Sea, in the first time an offshore oil licence has ever been legally challenged, the UK branch of the environmental group confirmed.

"Today we've taken the UK government to court for granting a new drilling licence in the North Sea. BP's Vorlich oil field and the Cambo oil field cannot go ahead when we are at code red for humanity," Greenpeace UK wrote on Twitter.

Lawyers from Greenpeace are seeking to have the permit revoked, arguing that when it was granted, the government failed in its legal duty to check what impact it would have on the climate.

The Vorlich Oil field, whose production has been estimated at 30 million barrels, is located 241 kilometers (150 miles) east of the North East coast of Aberdeen and the Cambo field, which is due to receive final approval for extraction to begin, is off Shetland.

Greenpeace UK has said that an eventual victory at Scotland's highest civil court could have a huge impact on how the government grants oil drilling licences.