[posted by Jonathan Watss on The Guardian, January 10, 2018] Ecuador’s state oil company has begun drilling the first of 97 planned wells inside a new field of the Yasuní national park, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. The opening of the Tambococha-2 well has triggered fierce criticism from conservationists, who say President Lenín Moreno is backtracking on a promise to protect the Amazon and pay greater heed to the opinion...

[posted by Karen Savage on Climate Liability News, January 10, 2018] New York City is suing five major oil companies, becoming the latest in a growing number of municipalities attempting to hold the industry accountable for damages caused by climate change. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce in a press conference Wednesday afternoon the suit against BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and Royal Dutch Shell, the five...

Contestazioni territoriali ambientali: presentato il XII Rapporto dell’Osservatorio Nimby forum

[su ARPAT] In Italia, nel 2016, sono state 359 le infrastrutture e gli impianti oggetto di contestazioni ambientali, in aumento del 5% rispetto all’anno precedente. Relativamente alle nuove contestazioni, nel 2016 si aggiungono ben 119 opere, +7.2% rispetto al 2015. I settori più criticati sono il comparto energetico (56,7%), che comprende gli impianti per la produzione di energia elettrica da fonti fossili e rinnovabili, ed il...

[posted by Tom DiChristopher on CNBC, January 4, 2018] The Trump Interior Department announced Thursday plans to offer blocks in the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans for oil and gas exploration in an ambitious new five-year offshore lease plan. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said the draft proposal for offshore leasing between 2019 and 2024 would offer about 90 percent of the U.S. outer continental shelf, the largest lease sale...

[posted by Adam Vaughan on The Guardian, January 7, 2018] One of Britain’s top fracking firms has been accused of misleading the public over its intent to explore for shale gas in a protected area of ancient woodland in Sherwood Forest. Ineos, a UK-based petrochemicals firm, has said publicly it would exclude sensitive areas of the legendary home of Robin Hood from its seismic surveys. However, documents released under freedom of...

[posted by Megan Darby on Climate Home News, January 4, 2018] The Norwegian government can continue to award oil exploration licences in the Arctic, Oslo district court ruled on Thursday, in a defeat for environmentalists. Judges rejected the argument by Greenpeace and Nature and Youth that expanding oil production is incompatible with the country’s climate change obligations. Norway is only responsible for the greenhouse gas...