Friends of the Earth Scotland will make submissions to the Court of Session as it looks to ensure a ban on fracking is upheld
Environmental campaigners have entered a legal battle over fracking.
Friends of the Earth Scotland (FOES) has said that there are crucial arguments that must be put forward to ensure that a fracking ban is upheld.
Petrochemicals firm Ineos has appealed to the Court of Session after Scottish Government ministers announced a ban on unconventional gas extraction.
A judicial review is due to be heard in May, with Ineos claiming there were serious errors in the decision making process.
Ahead of the hearing, Friends of the Earth Scotland will argue the ban is lawful after submitting a public interest intervention.
The charity’s head of campaigns Mary Church said: "We are getting involved in Ineos’ judicial review of the fracking ban in order to put forward crucial climate change arguments in support of the ban that otherwise would not have been heard.
“Our intervention argues that the Scottish Government is required to ban fracking so as to urgently cut greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, in line with legally binding climate targets.”
FOES will be represented by the Scottish law firm Balfour+Manson and Aidan O’Neill QC of Ampersand and Matrix Chambers with input from Leigh Day in London.
The intervention is by way of a written submission, and provides information to the court on relevant EU, Scottish and UK environmental law, national and international obligations on climate change, as well as the link between human rights and environmental protection.
"We are confident that the process to ban fracking was robust and fair, and we hope that the courts will find against Ineos,” Church added.
“A two-year process looked at mountains of scientific evidence that spoke of the risks of the unconventional oil and gas industry to our environment, climate and people’s health. There is overwhelming support for the ban from communities on the frontline of this industry, people the length and breadth of Scotland, and almost all the parties at Holyrood."
