A new legal effort was launched on Tuesday to halt a controversial scheme to extract oil from protected countryside in southern England.
The project to expand a two-well site at Horse Hill, Surrey, by drilling four new ones was agreed by the county council in a 25-year deal just months after it declared a climate emergency in 2019. The council had pledged then to help “support people out of private fossil-fuel powered cars” as part of its environmental strategy.
The council won a ruling at the UK’s High Court in December last year following a challenge by campaigner Sarah Finch who said that officials failed to consider the full environmental impact of emissions from pumped oil.
She returned to court on Tuesday to challenge the ruling that had cleared the way to drill for oil at the site near Gatwick Airport. Campaigners say the development could lead to more than 10 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent being released into the atmosphere when the oil is burnt.
The Court of Appeal will be asked to rule on whether the environmental impact assessment should have taken into account the full impact of emissions from both the site and where the oil is eventually used. Emissions from cars and factories that would eventually use the oil were not included in the council’s assessment.
Environmental group Friends of the Earth said the case has already been cited by other developers to justify excluding greenhouse gas emissions that are not directly from the site.
The challenge comes just three days after a deal was finally struck at the UN’s Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow that included an agreement to reduce subsidies for fossil fuels. The UK has committed to becoming net zero by 2050 and achieving a balance between greenhouse gases sent into the environment and those taken out.
Sarah Finch said: “If Councils don't assess all the climate impacts of a proposed development before giving it permission, then we have no chance of reaching net zero. Surrey County Council didn't do this in the case of Horse Hill, which I believe was wrong, legally as well as morally.”
Lawyers for Friends of the Earth said it was “ludicrous” to grant planning permission for more oil extraction without considering its full impact on the planet.
Solicitor Katie de Kauwe said other countries considered “end-use” emissions as part of their environmental impact statements.
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Company%C2%A0profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
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The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
