Stop Oil in the Arctic!

The Arctic is one of the world's most important and vulnerable ecosystems. It is home to humpback, bowhead and beluga whales, as well as polar bears. The Barents Sea is also home to the world's largest cod stock, and large colonies of threatened seabirds breed here.

But this icy region in the far north is rapidly changing. The Arctic is warming much faster than the rest of the world. Nature here, shaped by thousands of years of extreme cold, is already under severe pressure from climate change.

Yet Norway is planning to open new areas for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic, even though this is incompatible with its climate goals and burning fossil fuels remains the main driver of the climate crisis.

New oil and gas development means new industrial activity and greater risks in fragile marine environments. At the same time, any new discoveries in the Barents Sea would arrive far too late to help meet Europe's energy needs. On average, it takes around 18 years from discovery to production, meaning today's discoveries are unlikely to reach the market before 2045.

The European Union, Norway's largest oil and gas customer, has already said no to oil and gas from the Arctic. At the same time, Europe is moving away from fossil fuels and investing in a cleaner energy future.

Norway must listen.

It is not too late to protect the unique nature of the Arctic!

Sign the petition and call on Norway to stop all new oil and gas exploration in the Arctic.

The Arctic is changing fast. Temperatures are rising two to four times faster here than the global average. As sea ice retreats, the habitats that Arctic wildlife depend on are coming under increasing pressure.

At the same time, Norway is pushing to explore for new oil and gas even further north.

This brings the risk of oil spills in some of our most valuable and vulnerable marine areas. A major spill in Arctic waters could have devastating consequences. Harsh weather, extreme cold, darkness and vast distances would make clean-up operations exceptionally difficult. With today's technology, less than ten percent of spilled oil could be recovered.

But this is also a question of what kind of energy future we choose.

Expanding oil and gas exploration in the Arctic is not the answer to Europe’s energy needs today. Instead, it risks locking Norway into costly fossil fuel projects long after demand for oil and gas already has begun to decline.

• WWF works to protect the unique nature and wildlife of the Arctic.

• We advocate for vulnerable and ecologically important marine areas to be protected from fossil fuel development, and for Norway to stop issuing new licenses for oil and gas exploration.

• For decades, we have worked to keep the Lofoten Islands, Vesterålen and Senja free from oil development, while pushing for strong protection of the marginal ice zone and other vulnerable areas in the north.

• At the same time, we support a fair and responsible transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy solutions that cut emissions, protect nature, and help build a sustainable energy system for the future.

The Arctic is not the next oil frontier waiting to be opened. It is a unique natural environment that we have a responsibility to protect.

The Norwegian Parliament must:

• Stop all new oil and gas exploration in the Arctic.

• Reject the Wisting project and other new oil and gas developments in the Barents Sea.

• Protect particularly valuable and vulnerable marine areas from oil and gas development.

• Ensure that Lofoten, Vesterålen and Senja remain free from oil development.

• Deliver a fair and planned transition away from oil and gas and towards the renewable energy solutions of the future.

The Arctic is no place for Norway's next oil frontier.

Sign the petition. Keep it in the ground