Campaigner wins award for landmark climate case

A woman whose successful campaign against oil drilling in Surrey led to a landmark judgement on fossil fuel emissions has won an international award.

Sarah Finch, who fought for years to stop the project in Horse Hill, near Gatwick, as part of the Weald Action Group, has been selected as the European recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize.

The Supreme Court ruled in June 2024 that permission for the oil development was unlawful as it failed to consider the full climate impact of burning oil from new wells.

Finch, from Balcombe, in West Sussex, said it was a "huge honour" to receive the prize, which honours her achievements as a grassroots campaigner.

She said: "I'm proud to accept it on behalf of the Weald Action Group and communities everywhere who are fighting to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

"The science is crystal clear that we can't extract any more coal, oil or gas if we want to keep within safe climate limits."

Finch, on behalf of Weald Action Group, launched a judicial review to challenge Surrey County Council over its decision to approve the drilling operation.

She then took the case to the Supreme Court which ruled the county council should have assessed downstream emissions when reviewing the planning application.

The council had said at the time it believed it had followed planning law.

The landmark ruling, known as the "Finch ruling", means developers and planning authorities must consider these impacts before approving fossil fuel projects.

Leigh Day solicitor Rowan Smith, who represented Finch, said the judgement set a legal precedent for halting numerous other fossil fuel developments and she "thoroughly deserved" the recognition.

He added: "We are proud to have worked with Sarah, and of the impacts that this judgement has already gone on to have."

Katie de Kauwe, senior lawyer at Friends of the Earth, which also supported the legal challenge, said: "The Finch ruling is one of the most significant legal breakthroughs this century in the fight against the climate crisis."

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