Norway to allow dumping of mining waste in fjord despite risk to wildlife

Norway is to permit mining waste to be dumped in its fjords after the government won a court case against environmental organisations attempting to block the plan.

After a 15-year dispute, the private company Nordic Mining has been given the green light to dispose of 170m tonnes of mining waste at the bottom of the Førde fj ord, which critics say will threaten marine life and put biodiversity at risk.

The decision means that Norway has joined only two other countries in the world – Papua New Guinea and Turkey – that still issue licences for marine waste disposal.

The court ordered Friends of the Earth Norway and Nature and Youth , the environmental organisations that brought the case, to pay legal costs of about £110,000.

They could take the case to the court of appeal but have said their limited resources will not allow them to continue the fight.