Blow to government’s plan for more oil and gas drilling as High Court grants legal challenge

Climate authorities have repeatedly warned against new drilling for fossil fuels

Greenpeace campaigners outside the High Court for the legal challenge (Tom Gibbs / Greenpeace)

The government's plan for more oil and gas drilling has been dealt a major blow after the High Court said a legal challenge against it could proceed.

A judge on Tuesday evening granted Greenpeace's request for a judicial review of the policy on the basis of the climate impact of the drilling.

The campaigners argue that the government has failed to take into account the environmental effects of consuming the extracted fossil fuels – despite this making up 80 per cent of the emissions from the plan.