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The IBA’s response to the situation in Ukraine
Tag results for 'Climate-News-Analysis'
ESG: Regulators adopt focus on tackling greenwashing
Recent investigations by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) highlight how regulators are taking action against ‘greenwashing’ – the making of false or misleading claims about the green or sustainable credentials of a product. Regulators across jurisdictions are increasingly focused on tackling this practice.
Released on Jan 5, 2023
Copper shortfall’s ‘dramatic impact’ on energy transition drives search for answers
The global clean energy transition is moving at full speed, with the electrification of energy generation happening quicker than expected as governments fast-track regulatory support for green power sources in response to the energy crisis.
Released on Dec 15, 2022
COP27 side event: Utilising the law as a key tool toward addressing climate change and promoting equity
On 12 November 2022, at a side event of COP27 co-hosted by four legal associations – the International Bar Association (IBA), American Bar Association, Law Society of England & Wales and Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) – panellists addressed the crucial role of the law in tackling the climate crisis. With professional organisations representing thousands of lawyers advising companies and governments who sponsor major projects and set climate policy the discussion covered legal professionals’ duty of care to advise clients on climate risk and unveil new initiatives.
Released on Nov 22, 2022
Climate conscious courts: Recent cases in France, the UK and the US: Article by LPRU intern
In the preamble to the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015 by 175 parties, it was acknowledged that ‘climate change is a common concern of humankind’, and that all parties have ‘common […] responsibilities’ to combat the climate crisis.
Released on Nov 9, 2022
Climate crisis and the law: the rise of climate litigation
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in climate litigation worldwide as claimants seek to hold both governments and corporate actors to account for how their actions – or inactions – are contributing to the climate crisis.
Released on Nov 3, 2022
Climate crisis: Calls for emphasis on international mitigation policies after devastating floods hit Pakistan
In August, heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan led to flash floods that caused rivers to burst their banks. This gave way to widespread devastation as the water washed away entire villages and forced families to flee.
Released on Oct 18, 2022
Climate crisis: US passes transformative Inflation Reduction Act
In mid-August US President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (the Act) into law in what the White House terms the country’s ‘most aggressive’ attempt at tackling the climate crisis. The Act aims to reduce carbon emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2030 and transform the US’ climate and environment-related policies, including by expanding clean and renewable energy production.
Released on Oct 11, 2022
Climate justice: Africa under the spotlight as COP27 talks loom
The challenges facing Africa’s clean energy transition will be thrust into the spotlight once again as Egypt prepares to host the 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (‘COP27’) in November. Hailed as ‘Africa’s COP’, African nations have said they will use the conference as a platform to set the agenda for the continent’s energy development over the next decade.
Released on Oct 10, 2022
Climate justice: Prioritising ‘loss and damage’ essential at COP27 talks
Severe flooding devastated Pakistan in late August, killing more than 1,500 people, causing billions of dollars in damage and affecting more than 15 per cent of the country’s population.
Released on Oct 4, 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: elections wielded as weapon of war
Russians took to the polls from 9-11 September, marking the country’s first nationwide elections since it invaded Ukraine in February. Voting took place amidst an ongoing crackdown on civil society and freedom of speech that has intensified markedly since the war began.
Released on Sep 30, 2022
Corporate Counsel Forum explores sanctions screening with new podcast
Europe’s current energy crisis is set to worsen as winter approaches, according to most analyses. Energy shortages combined with severe price hikes for gas and electricity threaten industrial slowdowns and factory shutdowns. Recession in Europe’s top economies –Germany, in particular – appears likely.
Released on Sep 16, 2022
Energy: Companies and governments consider legal remedies as crisis set to deepen
Europe’s current energy crisis is set to worsen as winter approaches, according to most analyses. Energy shortages combined with severe price hikes for gas and electricity threaten industrial slowdowns and factory shutdowns. Recession in Europe’s top economies –Germany, in particular – appears likely.
Released on Aug 26, 2022
Climate crisis: EU-New Zealand agreement raises the bar on climate action in trade deals
The EU-New Zealand free trade agreement (FTA) – announced in early July – is the first of its kind to include legally enforceable commitments on climate measures, as well as gender equality and environment and labour standards.
Released on Aug 15, 2022
Ukraine war turning food security concerns into global crisis
Released on Aug 2, 2022
Climate crisis: Law firms can have major impact through client work
As the latest UN climate change report issues another stark warning to all industries to limit global emissions, some in the legal profession are attempting to lead the way.
Released on Apr 28, 2022
Climate crisis: next chapter for Greenpeace in North Sea oil action leads 2022’s slate of cases
2022 appears set to be another conspicuous year for environmental and climate litigation cases. Cases in Australia, Canada, Germany, Poland and beyond will pit teenagers, farmers, environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their lawyers against governments, banks and energy companies.
Released on Feb 22, 2022
Climate adaptation faces ‘monumental’ underfunding challenge
The COP26 summit raised the bar yet again for state commitment to tackle the climate crisis. The Glasgow Climate Pact set developed countries the unprecedented goal of doubling their funding for climate adaptation measures by 2025.
Released on Feb 21, 2022
Climate crisis: the ‘significant’ role of lawyers in the energy transition
The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference – or ‘COP26’ – summit in Glasgow runs from 31 October to 12 November and will mark the next critical juncture for global leaders to address the climate crisis. Business – and their lawyers – can no longer take a backseat to the negotiations. Instead, they must be a core part of efforts to accelerate the global energy transition.
Released on Oct 29, 2021
Climate crisis: lawyers help set agenda with COP26 work
The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) presents important opportunities for lawyers involved in the summit to help shape the climate action agenda and move it forward.
Released on Oct 27, 2021
Climate crisis: EU’s carbon border levy ‘going to happen’, despite threat of challenges
Even before the European Commission published its long-trailed carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) proposal in July, overseas opposition to the plan was brewing and exporters were nervous. The proposal – which still needs to progress through the European policymaking machine before implementation – was met with the expected outcries from Russia and China, and with nerves in Australia.
Released on Oct 11, 2021
Climate crisis: ‘green’ transition underway in legal sector
While fossil fuel companies and financial institutions have been making headlines with their net zero pledges and promises to change the way they do business, the legal sector has quietly been undergoing its own transition.
Released on Sep 8, 2021
Migration: climate breakdown drives internal displacement to record 55 million
Despite restrictions on movement resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 saw the highest number of people becoming internally displaced in a decade, at 40.5 million. The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) globally reached a record 55 million in December 2020, according to a report from the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
Released on Aug 12, 2021
Climate crisis drives change in energy sector amid pandemic
As Covid-19 swept the globe in early 2020, many governments brought in stay-at-home orders and lockdowns, leading to a collapse in oil and gas prices as transportation dramatically reduced. The impact was immediately evident, with oil majors posting significant financial losses in 2020 – although early financial results from 2021 have them back in the black as economic activity slowly picks up around the world. Amid the chaos brought by the pandemic, the spotlight has turned to a bigger issue: the climate crisis.
Released on Jul 12, 2021
Climate crisis: Covid-induced economic woes hindering low-carbon transition
Despite global calls to ‘build back better’ following the Covid-19 pandemic, a recent United Nations report has revealed that just 18 per cent of recovery spending is going to measures that enhance sustainability.
Released on May 10, 2021
Climate emergency: elections in spotlight as crucial decade begins
In October, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won a historic majority in elections, with her party’s platform including a pledge to achieve a 100 per cent renewable electricity system by 2035. She has since declared a climate emergency and that her government will be carbon neutral by 2025.
Released on Dec 18, 2020
Climate emergency: financial institutions prepare for climate-related stress tests
Stress tests that focus on the impact of climate change are moving up every financial regulator’s agenda. These tests – which show what would happen in various hypothetical situations – are used by regulators to reveal whether banks, building societies and insurance companies hold enough capital to meet sudden and unexpected losses.
Released on Dec 10, 2020
Litigation: Indigenous peoples seek protection of environment and rights in US
In July, the United States Supreme Court handed down its ruling in McGirt v Oklahoma, which has been hailed as a significant victory for Native Americans, one with implications for their governance over their peoples and lands. The case forms part of a recent trend of notable litigation seeking recognition and protection of Indigenous rights in the US.
Released on Oct 27, 2020
Climate emergency: young people seek to use litigation to force action
In early September, a group of six young people in Portugal filed a complaint against 33 nations with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR or the ‘Court’), alleging that the respondents have violated their human rights by failing to act fast enough on climate change. It’s the first case of its kind to be filed with the Court, and is indicative of the growing number of young people using the legal system to force faster action on the climate crisis.
Released on Oct 7, 2020
Climate litigation: European rulings set legal precedents for government accountability
In February, the Court of Appeal in England and Wales found plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport unlawful, as they were incompatible with commitments the UK government made in line with the United Nation’s Paris Agreement on climate change. The Court effectively determined that the Paris Agreement constitutes government policy that must be taken into account in accordance with national law, setting a precedent for accountability regarding international climate commitments.
Released on Apr 21, 2020
Comment and analysis - The climate crisis: Latin America’s ‘Lithium triangle’ holds key to a low-carbon future
Today, an average petrol-powered car, which has travelled 150,000 miles, will emit more than 63,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide. By comparison, the carbon dioxide output from batteries recharged from renewable electricity sources is negligible.
Released on Mar 5, 2020