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Stopping fossil fuels, one legal win at a time
This year, thanks to the support of Work for Good businesses and hundreds of thousands of committed supporters around the UK, Friends of the Earth has successfully blocked 5 new fossil fuel developments in the UK.
The first case came in June, when the Supreme Court upheld Sarah Finch's climate change legal challenge against new oil production at Horse Hill in Surrey. It ruled that the local council acted unlawfully by granting planning permission because it didn’t consider the climate impact when the oil is inevitably burned.
The case set a legal precedent that be used in other court challenges against new UK fossil fuel developments. And that’s exactly what happened. In September, the High Court quashed planning permission for the proposed Whitehaven coal mine in Cumbria.
Alongside this, our team in Northern Ireland successfully intervened in 3 cases, blocking significant gas and oil developments.
These wins are incredible.
They reflect years of work from committed grassroots campaigners and volunteers who give so much of their time and energy to these cases. Friends of the Earth is proud to support these local groups with our legal expertise, media support, and campaigning tools and tactics – they all help to secure these wins.
We’re ready for more battles ahead. But for now, these stories demonstrate the power of community action and bring hope to many that we can pave the way for a fossil free future.
Is your area a pollution hotspot?
Our latest research shows a shocking 1 in 4 neighbourhoods classify as nature pollution hotspots.
These “hotspots” are areas where air, water, noise and light pollution are at levels that are threatening the future survival of a host of iconic British species, including pollinating bees and native bats.
We're calling for the right to a healthy environment to be enshrined in a new Environmental Rights Act. The law would empower communities to hold regulators and public bodies to account to reduce the multiple layers of pollution affecting their areas to better protect wildlife and people.
• Take a look at your area using the interactive map
• Add your name to support our call for an Environmental Rights Act