Atlantic Frontier: legal

In November 1999 Greenpeace secured a landmark High Court ruling that the government's oil licensing policy is illegal, and must immediately stop, until the long-term survival of the Atlantic Frontier's wildlife is secured. Greenpeace proved that the government was breaking European Law by failing to protect the areas whales and dolphins under the EU Habitats Directive.

In his judgement, Mr Justice Kay told the court that Greenpeace's case that whales and dolphins can be harmed by oil industry activity was substantially uncontradicted by government and oil industry evidence, and that oil exploration was at least likely to have an adverse effect on deep water coral reefs. The judge said that the government had clearly not applied the Habitats Directive offshore.

Despite this High Court ruling, the government continues to allow oil exploration to go ahead. Instead the government is pushing ahead with oil drilling in new areas of the Atlantic Frontier. At the moment it doesn't even know the basics, like how many whales or coral reefs there are.