WWF-Norway has taken legal action against the Norwegian government for opening areas for deep seabed mining activities. The trial starts in Oslo District Court on Thursday, November 28th.
Earlier this year, the Norwegian government decided to open large ocean areas for deep sea mining activities.
WWF believes that the Ministry of Energy's strategic impact assessment, which forms the basis of the government's decision to open areas, does not meet the minimum legal requirements under the Seabed Minerals Act, rendering the opening illegal.
As a result, WWF has taken legal action against the government.
“This lawsuit is not about whether we should engage in deep seabed mining, but about the level of knowledge that must be in place before politicians make crucial decisions with potentially catastrophic consequences,” says WWF-Norway CEO Karoline Andaur, adding:
“This strategic impact assessment is so poor that it is illegal."
Norway, now one of the first countries in the world to open for the nascent industry, has been heavily criticized for the opening process, both by its own environmental authorities, national and international research communities, as well as on the international stage.
"While the European Parliament, our Nordic neighbors and a number of other countries call for a moratorium and are taking their time to gather sufficient knowledge, the government is planning to issue exploitation licenses already in the first half of 2025. Once again, they show that other priorities take precedence over knowledge-based nature management,” Andaur says.
“It's really difficult to understand why the government chooses to put both nature and Norway's international reputation on the line by continuing this irresponsible and rushed process", she concludes.
For further information, please contact:
Elena Solberg
Media Relations Manager, WWF-Norway
esolberg@wwf.no
+47 48204130
