Norway sued over oil drilling in Barents Sea News
Norway sued over oil drilling in Barents Sea

A lawsuit [complaint, PDF] was filed [press release] against the Norwegian government on Tuesday over a decision to grant licenses for oil exploration in the Barents Sea. The plaintiffs, Nature and Youth and Greenpeace Nordic [advocacy website], argue that by allowing oil companies to drill in the Arctic, Norway is in violation of the Paris Agreement [text, PDF] and article 112 of Norway’s Constitution, which provides Norwegian people the right to a healthy and safe environment for themselves and future generations. Truls Gulowsen, a Greenpeace spokesperson, characterized the issue:

Signing an international climate agreement while throwing open the door to Arctic oil drilling is a dangerous act of hypocrisy. By allowing oil companies to drill in the Arctic, Norway risks undermining global efforts to address climate change. When the government fails to redress this we have to do what we can to stop it.

The lawsuit aims to prevent the state-owned Statoil and 12 other oil companies from beginning the new oil exploration campaign in the Barents Sea.

According to many experts, climate change [JURIST backgrounder] as a result of global greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most pressing and controversial environmental issues facing the international community today. Earlier in October the threshold for entry into force [JURIST report] of the Paris Agreement on combating climate change was achieved. The Paris Agreement is the world’s first comprehensive pact seeking to reduce carbon emissions and halt climate change and will take effect in early November. In September US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping formally committed [JURIST report] their nations to the Paris Agreement. These two nations alone are responsible for roughly 40 percent of the world’s total carbon emissions.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Congress passed legislation establishing post-WWII national security structure

On July 25, 1947, the National Security Act of 1947 was passed, establishing a linkage between the military and national security, and setting up the National Security Council (NSC), the CIA, the Department of Defense, and several other new agencies, including the National Military Establishment with three separate departments (the Army, the Navy and the new US Air Force), and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Learn more about the National Security Act of 1947.

Brunswick Manifesto proclaimed

On July 25, 1792, the Brunswick Manifesto was proclaimed by Charles William Ferdinand, the Duke of Brunswick during the French Revolutionary Wars. As leader of the forces allied against France, Ferdinand promised retribution against the citizens of Paris if the French Royal Family was harmed. Instead, the Manifesto further inflamed anti-royal sentiment in Paris.