People vs Arctic Oil
Greenpeace
Barents Sea, 2017
The Norwegian government is opening up a new oil frontier in the Arctic for the first time in 20 years. The EIA and drilling for Korpfjell suggests that there might be high densities of seabirds, in particular Guillemots and Krykkje, in the area during the drilling period. High density is defined as above 10 individuals per square kilometer of ocean, but in this area densities can be up to 2400 birds per square kilometer.
The Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise has anchored at the island of Lofoten in Northern Norway to join with climate activists at a youth camp of around 400 young people who oppose the Norwegian government’s oil drilling. For more than a week, peaceful activists have protested in the Barents Sea against the Norwegian government’s aggressive search for oil in the fragile Arctic. Among those gathered are: ‘Our Children’s Trust, Senior Women For Climate Protection (Klimaseniorinnen), and Nature and Youth (Natur og Ungdom).
Greenpeace Nordic and its co-plaintiff, Natur og Ungdom (Nature and Youth), will face the government in Court in Oslo in November, where the new drilling will be subject to a historic climate lawsuit. They argue that granting licenses to open a new oil frontier, breaches the Norwegian Constitutional right to a healthy and safe environment for current and future generations and contravenes the Paris Agreement.