Climate activists target Norway's arctic oil extraction at the European Court of Human Rights

Announced today in the media, the lawsuit against Norway was issued by six young activists and two non-governmental organizations: Natur og Ungdom (Young Friends of the Earth Norway) and Greenpeace. They argue that the decision to open up for new oil drilling in the Barents Sea is a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. Five years ago and for the first time in 20 years, Norway opened up a new area in the Barents Sea for oil and gas exploration. Since then, 13 companies have received the authorization to drill there. Today, the activists resort to a lawsuit to stop this exploitation which violates several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. Aged between 20 and 27 years old, the young activists behind the lawsuit include members of the Sami people, the Indigenous people living in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Sami people, their culture, and their way of life are particularly endangered by the climate crisis and the increasing exploitation of natural resources in Norway. As Lasse Eriksen Bjørn puts it: “As a young person from the Sea Sámi culture, I fear the impact that climate change will have on my people’s way of life. The Sámi culture is closely related to the use of nature, and fisheries are essential. For our culture to continue without the traditional harvesting of the oceans would be impossible. A threat to our oceans is a threat to our people”. Sami musician Ella Maria Hætta Isaksen counts also among the sixth activists and enhances that “We have to take action now to limit irreversible damage to our climate and ecosystems to ensure livelihoods for the coming generations.” Let's share their story and support them in this battle which hopefully will have a better ending than in 2020 when Norway's top court rejected the lawsuit filed by four environmental organizations about oil drilling in the Barents Sea. https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/2021/06/arctic-drilling-violation-human-rights https://nu.no/saker/klimasoksmal/2021/06/vi-klager-klimasoksmalet-til-en-internasjonal-domstol/ (Norwegian)