The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels must be included in the planning process for new projects.
Isabella Kaminski reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- The ruling mandates that planning authorities must consider the greenhouse gas emissions from burning extracted fossil fuels.
- The case, initiated by Sarah Finch, challenged Surrey county council's approval of an oil drilling project without assessing downstream emissions.
- This decision could influence other legal challenges against fossil fuel projects in the UK.
Key quote:
"The whole purpose of extracting fossil fuels is to make hydrocarbons available for combustion. It can therefore be said with virtual certainty that, once oil has been extracted from the ground, the carbon contained within it will sooner or later be released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and so will contribute to global warming."
— UK Supreme Court Judges
Why this matters:
This ruling ensures that the long-term climate impacts of fossil fuel projects are considered, potentially leading to stricter scrutiny and fewer approvals for new fossil fuel extraction projects. It represents a significant step in addressing climate change at the policy level.
