Sarah Finch with campaigner Lorraine Inglis awaiting the judgment at the Supreme Court in June 2024. Credit: Weald Action Group. 20 June 2024.
Campaigner Sarah Finch, on behalf of the Weald Action Group, won a landmark legal victory which has had major implications for fossil fuel projects.
The Campaign
In 2019, Surrey County Council granted permission for expansion of a small oil drilling site. The plans included four more oil wells and 20 years of oil production. The development could produce up to 3.3 million tonnes of crude oil, which would inevitably be burned, throwing more than 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and heating the planet.
Sarah Finch and campaigners believed that the permission was unlawful. They argued that Council planners should have considered the effect on the climate of burning this oil before they gave the plans the go-ahead. On behalf of the Weald Action Group, Sarah requested a judicial review of the decision. This led to a five-year legal battle, which culminated in a landmark victory for the campaigners.
Weald Action Group campaigners celebrate after winning their case at the Supreme Court. Credit: Weald Action Group. 20 June 2024.
It is an is an honour to be shortlisted. By recognising me, SMK has acknowledged the vital role of grassroots climate campaigners in fighting for a safe future.”
Sarah Finch
The Change
On 20 June 2024, the Supreme Court quashed the planning permission and clarified the law on environmental impact assessment of fossil fuel developments.
The Supreme Court’s ruling represented a major victory and a step forward in environmental decision-making. It established that fossil fuel projects cannot be approved without a comprehensive assessment of their full climate impact, including the greenhouse gases that would inevitably be released when the fuel is burned.
Based on this ruling, a number of other fossil fuel developments have also been found unlawful, including the giant Rosebank oil field in the North Sea and what would have been the UK’s first new coal mine in decades.
The judgment has had impacts beyond oil and gas. For example, an application for an intensive animal farm in Norfolk was recently refused, citing the ‘Finch’ judgment.
The ruling also forced the government to rethink its approach to the environmental assessment of new oil and gas fields. All oil and gas related applications are on hold while the government develops new guidance on this vital area.
The Future
Thanks to Sarah’s and the Weald Action Group’s tenacious campaigning, oil and gas companies can no longer get away with hiding the enormous harm they are doing to our climate from opening new projects. Now, decision-makers can make a clear-eyed assessment of the climate pollution from new oil and gas fields. If they still approve them, they will do so knowing the harm they will cause to people’s lives, livelihoods and our natural world.
Who else was involved?
The Weald Action Group, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace UK, Law for Change
