Search Results for: climate change

US Secretary of Defense Llyod Austin released a statement on Tuesday announcing that he will support changes to the military justice system that would allow independent military lawyers to handle sexual assault cases, removing the cases from the chain of command. Austin’s statement is in response to a report from the Independent Review Commission (IRC) [...]

After six months of deliberation, a panel of 12 independent legal experts from across the globe on Tuesday unveiled a working definition of “ecocide” that they hope will be adopted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The panel was organized by the Stop Ecocide Foundation, an NGO whose stated focus is facilitating the adoption of ecocide by the [...]

In late May of this year, the district court of Netherlands announced its judgment in Milieudefensie v. Royal Dutch Shell, which ordered the Royal Dutch Shell, a leading oil manufacturer, to reduce its carbon emissions by 45 percent (from its 2019 level) by 2030. This decision has been applauded by environmental activists who have called [...]

Brussels’ first court of instance ruled on Friday that Belgium has failed to meet its climate obligations, and that its failure amounts to a violation of human rights under the Belgian Civil Code and article 2 and 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. The suit was initiated by NGO Klimaatzaak against the Belgian [...]

A group of Norwegian climate activists on Tuesday formally requested that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) review Norway’s plans for expanded Arctic oil and gas extraction, arguing that their “rights to life and private and family life are directly affected by climate change.” Environmental groups Greenpeace and Young Friends of the Earth, along with [...]

The US Supreme Court declined Monday to take up an appeal by a group of oil companies challenging a California state court ruling permitting two California cities to sue for damages related to climate change, meaning the case will be heard in state court. The cities of Oakland and San Francisco claimed that fossil fuel [...]

In a historic decision on May 26, 2021, the Hague District Court ordered Royal Dutch Shell to cut its carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2030, compared to 2019 levels. The ruling came in a petition filed by seven Dutch environmental organizations, of which Milieudefensie represented 17,379 individual claimants. The applicants argued that Shell should [...]

US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed an amended version of the Atlantic Charter on Thursday during the G7 summit in Cornwall, England. The original Atlantic Charter was a post-war declaration signed by former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1941 following the Declaration [...]

The developer of the Keystone XL gas pipeline confirmed its decision to terminate the controversial project Wednesday, marking the end of a decade-long legal battle. TC Energy ceased the pipeline construction in January after President Joe Biden revoked a necessary presidential permit. The permit, issued by the Trump administration in 2017, allowed TC Energy, a Canadian company, [...]

The Federal Court of Australia ruled Thursday that the Minister for Environment, Sussan Ley, and the wider government, has a duty of care to protect Australia’s youth from the climate crisis. The landmark decision comes after eight Australian teenagers filed a claim with the Federal Court, seeking an injunction to “restrain an apprehended breach of [...]