WWF has announced it will take the Norwegian government to court over its decision to open up areas in the Arctic region for commercial seabed mineral activities.
This announcement comes after the conservation NGO issued a notice of the lawsuit to Norway last month, asking the Norwegian government to rollback on its plan.
The government was given a two-week deadline, but failed to respond, according to WWF
“We hoped the notice of a lawsuit would prompt the government to reconsider and withdraw its controversial decision,” said Karoline Andaur, CEO of WWF-Norway.
“Unfortunately, WWF-Norway sees no other options but to proceed with legal action.”
WWF argued that the government’s decision is based on a strategic impact assessment that fails to comply with the national Seabed Minerals Act, as previously pointed out by the Norwegian Environmental Agency.
“A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT”
“We believe the government is violating Norwegian law by now opening up for a new and potentially destructive industry without adequately assessing the consequences,” said Andaur.
“It will set a dangerous precedent if we allow the government to ignore its own rules, override all environmental advice, and manage our common natural resources blindly.”
In January, the Norwegian parliament gave the go-ahead to open up for deep sea mining, after the country’s minority centre-left government secured a preliminary parliamentary majority for the bill.
The move has raised strong concerns among scientists, fishery organisations, and the international community, with the EU Parliament adopting a resolution against Norway in February.
“We have never before seen a Norwegian government so arrogantly ignore all scientific advice and defy the warnings of a united marine research community,” said Andaur.
So far, 25 countries worldwide have called for a pause, moratorium, or ban on deep seabed mining.
Experts have long cautioned companies that the practice could not only be harmful to the environment, but also have ‘poor’ market prospects.
By Sergio Colombo – sergio@carbon-pulse.com
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