Campaigners will take their battle to block Arctic oil drilling to Norway’s supreme court, they announced on Monday.

They intend to appeal Oslo district court’s ruling last month that the Norwegian government may continue to award exploration licences for the Barents Sea.

If the court accepts the case, it will test whether fossil fuel exporters can be held accountable for the climate impact of burning their product overseas.

...Along with Nature and Youth, an affiliate of Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace is arguing that expanding oil and gas production violates Norwegians’ constitutional right to a healthy environment.

The district judges acknowledged that constitutional right, but accepted the state’s defence that adequate environmental protections were in place. 

...If Norway’s supreme court will not accept the case directly, the campaigners will seek a hearing at the appeals court. They argue that the urgency of the issue warrants fast-tracking the process.