Green groups’ fury at loophole in new North Sea oil test

Projects that could produce more than 1.7bn barrels will not have to go through the government's checkpoint', data reveals

Prospective oil projects in the North Sea with the capacity to produce more than a billion barrels will avoid a new test designed to assess their impact on the climate crisis, the Observer has learned.

In a development that has angered environmental campaigners, it has emerged that proposed new developments representing some 1.7bn barrels of oil will not have to undergo the forthcoming climate compatibility checkpoint", designed to determine whether they are consistent with the government's climate commitments.