Oil Well Plans Must Consider Climate Impact, Supreme Court Rules

Judgment will have profound implications for new fossil fuel projects including new North Sea oil and gas fields, claim activists.

Environmental campaigner Sarah Finch (centre) outside the Supreme Court in London, June 20, 2024, Callum Parke/PA Wire

The Supreme Court has ruled that emissions from burning fossil fuels must be considered when granting planning permission for new drilling sites.

The oil well site, run by Horse Hill Developments, would have seen the fossil fuel extracted over 20 years, producing around 3.3 million tonnes of oil.