The UK Supreme Court has issued a landmark ruling requiring the environmental impact of emissions from burning fossil fuels to be considered in planning applications for new extraction projects.
This decision followed a case concerning an oil drilling project at Horse Hill in Surrey, originally granted planning permission by Surrey County Council in 2019.
Environmental campaigner Sarah Finch argued that the environmental assessment should include the impact of burning the extracted oil, not just the emissions from extraction. The Supreme Court ruled in her favor, overturning a previous Court of Appeal decision. Lord Leggatt stated that it was necessary to assess the combustion emissions due to their significant climate impact.
This ruling could affect other fossil fuel projects, including the proposed Rosebank oil field in the North Sea and the coal mine in Whitehaven. It mandates that local authorities must consider the broader environmental consequences of fossil fuel burning when granting planning permission, potentially reshaping the future of fossil fuel extraction in the UK.
Campaigners hailed the decision as a major step toward reducing fossil fuel dependency, while industry groups emphasized the ongoing need for oil and gas. The government is expected to soon decide on the future of the Rosebank project.
