A court ruling requires the British government to consider the potential climate impact of the oil and gas produced in the North Sea.

A legal challenge by green campaigners to block drilling at the massive proposed development off Shetland has been upheld by the Court of Session.

The approval of the North Sea oil fields has been quashed while a revised environmental impact assessment is submitted.

“The age of governments approving new drilling sites by ignoring their climate impacts is over,” Evans said. “The courts have agreed with what climate campaigners have said all along: Rosebank and Jackdaw are unlawful, and their full climate impacts must now be properly considered.”

Taking their case to the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Greenpeace and Uplift argued that the effects of downstream burning of fuel extracted from the Rosebank oil field, north-west of Shetland, and the Jackdaw gas field, off Aberdeen, had not been considered when licences to exploit them were issued in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

The decision at Scotland’s Court of Session means the Labour Government will now have to decide whether to approve drilling for the fuel fossil projects

The proposed Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea have been ruled unlawful by the Court of Session in Edinburgh

Britain’s two biggest offshore oil and gas developments have been blocked from producing any fossil fuels after a judge quashed their production permits in a row over greenhouse

A court has ruled that consent for two new Scottish oil and gas fields was granted unlawfully and their owners must seek fresh approval from the UK government before production can begin.

The approval of the Rosebank oilfield has been ruled unlawful by the courts – which has been hailed as a “historic victory” for the planet.

Both climate activists and oil companies welcome Scottish ruling that will see Ed Miliband reconsider Rosebank and Jackdaw environmental permits