Environmental group Friends of the Earth announced today that it has been given the go-ahead to go to court to try and block the British Government’s financial investment in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in northern Mozambique.
The green light was given today by the High Court in London for a Judicial Review to examine whether the investment complies with current legislation, including the commitments made in the Paris Agreement.
The hearing on the case is not yet scheduled, but is expected to take place later this year.
The British government confirmed last year that it would contribute up to £1.15 billion (€1.3 billion) to the northern Mozambique liquefied natural gas (LNG) project through the UK Export Finance (UKEF) agency.
The environmental organisation argues that the construction phase alone will increase greenhouse gas emissions in Mozambique by up to 10% by 2022, and that afterwards the extracted natural gas will generate even more emissions estimated at around 116 MtCO2e per year.
MtCO2e is the equivalent of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide, a measure used to assess the impact of greenhouse gases on global warming.
“How can Boris Johnson expect the rest of the world to stop using fossil fuels when his government is giving such enthusiastic support to a project that could have the same environmental impact as the entire EU aviation sector?” questioned Will Rundle, legal director at Friends of the Earth, in a statement.
The UK prime minister announced this year that the UK would stop funding fossil fuel energy sector projects abroad from 31 March 2021, leaving open already approved projects.
The decision includes international funding and support for British companies involved in new oil, natural gas and coal projects.
