Canada's environment minister approved a controversial offshore oil project on Wednesday that is expected to produce 300 million barrels of oil over 30 years, setting back efforts to curb climate change.

In a statement, Steven Guilbeault said development proposals from Norwegian oil firm Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil) for discoveries in the Flemish Pass Basin, some 500 km east of St. Johns, Newfoundland, have passed an environmental assessment.