ARGENTINA SEISMIC TESTING CASES

This case study details three legal challenges filed in Argentina to stop offshore seismic testing and fossil fuel exploration by the Norwegian company Equinor, which had been approved by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development via Resolution 436/2021. While the lawsuits raised concerns regarding biodiversity, climate commitments, and public participation, a court order initially halting the activities was later overturned pending an appeal.

• Three separate lawsuits were filed to stop offshore exploration activities approved by Resolution 436/2021 for the company Equinor. The first case by Organización de Ambientalistas Organizados focused on the "protection of the Southern Right Whale and its habitats" and later included climate impacts based on IPCC and IEA reports. The second case, brought by a group of NGOs including Greenpeace Argentina, argued that the project is incompatible with "Argentina's national and international climate commitments" and that the Environmental Impact Assessment failed to consider climate impacts. The third case, filed by the Mayor of Mar del Plata, focused on "access to environmental information and rights to public participation" under the Escazú Agreement and the lack of a National Adaptation and Mitigation Plan.
• On 11 February 2022, the Federal Court of Mar del Plata ordered Equinor to stop its exploration activities. The court's decision was based on the "violation of two key procedural rights: the right to information and the right to public participation," citing the Escazú Agreement and Argentinian law. The court also applied the "precautionary principle" regarding risks to biodiversity and whales, stating a "strategic environmental assessment should have been prepared" before approval, though it did not cite climate concerns.
• The initial injunction was overturned on 18 February 2022 by the Federal Court of Mar del Plata N. 4, which issued an order allowing seismic testing and exploration activities to "continue as planned, pending full adjudication of the appeal of the injunction."

APA

Natural Justice (2022). ARGENTINA SEISMIC TESTING CASES. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Argentina-Seismic-Testing-Cases.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. ARGENTINA SEISMIC TESTING CASES. 2022. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Argentina-Seismic-Testing-Cases.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=ARGENTINA SEISMIC TESTING CASES |date=February 2022 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Argentina-Seismic-Testing-Cases.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2022argentina, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{ARGENTINA SEISMIC TESTING CASES}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Argentina-Seismic-Testing-Cases.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }