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R (Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group & Others) v. Surrey County Council (& Others) - judgment

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R (Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group & Others) v. Surrey County Council (& Others) - Other

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R (Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group & Others) v. Surrey County Council (& Others) - press release

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In September 2019, the Surrey County Council granted planning permission to Horse Hill Developments Ltd for the retention and extension of the Horse Hill Well Site, Surrey, and to drill four new wells, to produce hydrocarbons (crude oil) over a 25-year period. The environmental statement issued by the developer provided an assessment of the direct (scope 1 and 2) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the project but did not assess the emissions that would subsequently be produced as a result of using the product (scope 3 emissions). The Council treated the scope 3 emissions as beyond the EIA's scope. 

The claimant, Sarah Finch, a local resident in Surrey and a climate activist, applied for judicial review of Surrey County Council’s decision to grant planning permission, citing serious concerns about the effects which the extraction and use of hydrocarbons would have on climate change. She argued that SCC’s failure to consider these emissions in determining whether to approve the project was a breach of the UK’s obligations under European Union Law (Directive 2011/92/EU, the EIA Directive) as implemented in domestic law by the EIA Regulations 2017. She contended that either SCC had misinterpreted the relevant national regulations in determining that the consumption-based emissions could be excluded from the assessment, or that the relevant regulations were unlawful because they were in conflict with the EIA Directive. She also argued that the consumption emissions from the project should have been considered in relation to the UK’s net zero target.

On July 15, 2020, the judge granted permission to apply for judicial review and identified a challenge to national planning policy on the ground that it is not in conformity with EU law. The claim then proceeded in the High Court. On October 20, 2020, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government was joined as an interested party to respond to the new grounds related to national planning policy. Friends of the Earth was granted permission to intervene.

On December 21, 2020, the case was dismissed by the High Court on the basis that “the assessment of GHG emissions from the future combustion of refined oil products...was, as a matter of law, incapable of falling within the scope to the EIA required by the 2017 Regulations for the planning application.” The case was subsequently appealed on the basis that the court erred in its interpretation of the 2017 Regulations. . Friends of the Earth was again granted permission to intervene. 

The Court of Appeal hearing took place in November 2021. At the hearing, the Appellant argued: 
•	That the High Court had taken an overly narrow interpretation of the EIA regime which was not aligned with established national and EU case law precedent. 
•	Furthermore, there was an imbalance between the weight afforded by the decision-maker to the benefits that the use of the extracted oil would bring, and the lack of consideration of the climate impacts of this usage.
•	It was advanced that the climate impact resulting from the end-use consumption of the oil extracted must be considered under the EIA regime. 
•	Additionally, that the Council’s reasons and consequently decision to exclude the end-use emissions from the EIA were inconsistent and legally flawed. 
•	The Appellant argued further that it is feasible to measure scope 3 emissions whilst still ensuring that the EIA regime is achievable in practice. 

Friends of the Earth supported the Appellant’s arguments, and referred to case law on EIA from other jurisdictions, to point to the workability of assessing scope 3 emissions from fossil fuel projects. The Court of Appeal’s decision was handed down on the February 17, 2022. The decision was split 2:1. The majority ruling was that SCC’s decision to grant planning permission without the EIA considering the end-use GHG emissions was lawful as the Surrey County Council was entitled to decide as a question of “fact and judgment” whether the Development’s scope 3 emissions fell within the assessment required by the 2017 Regulations. The dissenting judge, Lord Justice Moylan, concluded that the Council’s decision was unlawful. 

This case was heard by the Supreme Court in June 2023, with the court reserving its judgment. Friends of the Earth and the Office for Environmental Protection both intervened in the challenge. 

On June 20, 2024, the Supreme Court decided (by a majority of three to two) that the Surrey County Council’s decision to grant planning permission was unlawful because the EIA for the project failed to assess the effect of scope 3 emissions resulting from the eventual combustion of oil produced by the new wells. Delivering the majority judgment, Lord Leggatt emphasized that scope 3 emissions are an inevitable consequence of crude oil production. The case had proceeded on the basis of an agreed fact that all crude oil produced from the project would be combusted, which he concluded resulted in the scope 3 emissions being a relevant effect which was required to be considered in the EIA. The Supreme Court noted that, while scope 3 emissions are required to be considered in the EIA, this need not preclude the grant of permission. Instead, the obligation to consider scope 3 effects in EIAs, where relevant, ensures that the decision-making process is informed by a comprehensive understanding of a project’s impact on the environment. The leading judgment cited the decision of the Oslo District Court in Greenpeace Nordic v The State of Norway, which also decided that the EIA in question should have considered scope 3 emissions.

R (Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group & Others) v. Surrey County Council (& Others)

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

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Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

Financial actors and resources that are primarily directed towards climate change mitigation, adaptation and compensation.

An enterprise or financial institution that is usually majority-owned, backed or significantly controlled by nation-state governments.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

A long-lived, colourless gas, chiefly emitted from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and cement production.

A target to reduce the prevalence of a greenhouse gas over a specific time frame

A commitment to balance GHG emissions with removal by a certain point in time, effectively reducing the net emissions to zero

Activities of industries that extract natural resources, such as mining, oil, and gas, for commercial use.

Oil is a combustible liquid fossil fuel composed mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring as crude oil and refined into petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

Slow onset events evolve gradually from incremental changes over many years or from increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. As defined in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), slow onset events include risks and impacts from rising temperatures, desertification, biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and salinization.

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock formed from carbonised plant matter, rich in carbon and hydrocarbons, and occurring in several main types including hard coal and brown coal.

Activities of businesses and institutions that provide financial services and products to individuals and organisations.

Actions or measures to adapt freshwater, coastal and marine systems to climate change.

The activities of industries involved in the production, distribution, and sale of energy, including electricity, gas, and renewables.

Actions or measures to adapt freshwater systems to climate change.

The release of heat-trapping gases, primarily from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and industry.

Fossil gas, commonly known as natural gas, is a fossil fuel consisting chiefly of methane with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and trace gases, found in underground deposits.

This sector involves the wholesale and retail selling of goods.

Tradable permits are market-based tools that grant permission for specific activities, frequently used to regulate emissions. These permits can be issued within a trading system to manage environmental impacts.

Using laws and the legal system more broadly to protect vulnerable entities

This sector includes firms and individuals offering specialised expertise in fields such as law, accounting, consulting, science and engineering.

The activities of industries that transforms raw materials into finished goods through industrial processes.

Financial support to help individuals manage the effects of unexpected events, securing their livelihoods and increasing the resilience of people and businesses to the changing climate. It’s especially vital in developing regions where everyday risks, climate-related weather extremes, or crop failures can push people into poverty. Without insurance, people may have to resort to selling assets or cutting consumption to cope with losses.

This sector involves managing waste treatment, sanitation, pollution control and environmental cleanup.

Any substance with chemical properties that can cause physical harm to people or damage the environment, including ammonia, carbon monoxide, phosphine, chlorine, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, pesticides, dioxins, microplastics, benzene, asbestos, aflatoxins, fluoride, methanol, and toxins from marine sources.

Activities that involve planning, designing and building infrastructure, residential, and commercial structures.

Activities of government agencies and institutions that provide public services, enforce laws and manage public resources.

Social inclusion is the process of improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society—improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those disadvantaged on the basis of their identity.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

Actions to adapt human health, healthcare systems and well-being to climate change.

This sector involves the distribution, treatment, and conservation of water resources.

A potent, short-lived greehouse gas, largely released from livestock, fossil fuel extraction and waste management.

Geohazards are adverse geological phenomenon's that are capable of causing widespread damage or loss to property, life and the environment, such as earthquakes, volcano eruptions and tsunamis. Climate change can increase the frequency and severity of some geohazards, such as landslides, and soil erosion.

Any compulsory, unrequited payment to the government levied on corporations or individuals. This can be for environmental reasons, such as introducing a Carbon tax to set a price that emitters must pay for the greenhouse gases they emit.

Air pollution involves harmful contaminants in the air, affecting both indoor and outdoor environments. It can lead to health issues like respiratory diseases and heart problems, and climate impacts such as global warming. Pollutants can damage plants, trees, habitats, and water bodies like rivers and lakes.

A loan is a policy instrument where funds are provided to a borrower with the expectation of repaying the principal plus interest.

Zoning and spatial planning are both methods for guiding the distribution of people and activities in a space, and are regulatory restriction.