The question of whether emissions from Norwegian oil and gas that are bought and burned abroad should be considered has been an intense discussion for several years. On Thursday, the Oslo District Court ruled that the state is forced to explain the consequences of these emissions when approving new projects. They have not done that for the three oil fields Yggdrasil, Tyrving and Breidablikk. The tax emissions from the fields alone amount to as much as the total emissions to Norway for 9.5 years. This is how much oil and emissions the fields account for Breidablikk A clean oil field in the North Sea, which was put into production in October 2023. Recoverable reserves are estimated at just over 30 million standard cubic meters of oil. Gross emissions from the field are around 87 million tonnes of CO2. Expected production period is 20 years until around 2044. Tyrving A clean oil field in the North Sea. The field is still considered to be under development. Production is expected to start in the first quarter of 2025. Recoverable reserves are estimated at around 4.1 million standard cubic meters of oil equivalent. Gross emissions are estimated at 11.3 million tonnes of CO2. Expected production time is 15 years until 2040. Yggdrasil Includes the Hugin, Munin and Fulla fields in the North Sea. These three fields consist of oil, gas and NGL. Production is expected to start in 2027. Recoverable reserves are estimated at around 140 million standard cubic meters of oil equivalent. Total gross emissions are estimated at 365 million tonnes of CO2. Expected production time is 25 years until 2052. Source: The verdict in the climate lawsuit – There is a legal snowball rolling, so to speak. This is according to law professor Sigrid Eskeland Schüt at the University of Bergen. She has worked with questions about impact assessment for several years. Did not follow up In 2020, the Supreme Court concluded that combustion emissions abroad must be part of the impact assessment when oil companies apply for the development and operation of oil and gas. Nevertheless, the state did not comply with the judgment. – How strong is the new judgment of the Oslo district court? – In my view, it is a well-founded decision, but the discussion about emissions from incineration abroad has not completely settled. Schütz still does not believe that the verdict will have practical consequences for oil policy at first. She points out that it will still be up to the politicians in the Storting to assess whether discoveries on the shelf should be picked up. Nevertheless, she believes that a better factual basis and explanations can in the long run lead to changes in oil policy. – It’s a bit like a supertanker, it takes time to turn around. But we have discussions today about climate that we didn’t have ten years ago. And this requirement for knowledge is part of the changes. A satisfied Greenpeace leader shortly after they won the climate lawsuit against the state. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news Will damage the Norwegian environment In the judgment from the Oslo district court it was also found that it is probable that the spill will damage the environment in Norway. The court bases it on, among other things, reports from the climate panel of the UN, government reports and expert witness statements. – All emissions make the climate warmer and what is particularly important and which has been talked about a lot is the tipping point in the climate system. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB This is explained by Professor Helge Drange at the Bjerknes Center in Bergen, who was one of two witnesses. In the courtroom, he said that the discharge from Yggdrasil and Tyrving will, among other things, lead to an increase in sea temperature, more extreme weather, a higher snow limit and acidification of the sea in Norway. Can calculate the consequences One last thing to take from the judgment is that the court believes it is possible to calculate how much CO₂ oil fields will release. With ever-improving climate knowledge, one can again count on how the specific emissions will contribute to global warming. Climate researcher Bård Lahn at the University of Oslo believes that it is not possible to just count on how much oil in the field results in emissions. – When you build out an oil field, you also make arrangements for further development, extend its lifespan, build infrastructure that makes production more profitable and so on, he says and adds: – A minimum we should expect is that the global effects will be part of the impact assessments in the future, and not just a small calculation that the ministries do themselves.
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Professor does not think the climate verdict will change Norwegian oil policy for the first time – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
