Environment

A class action has been filed alleging the Morrison government has a novel duty of care to protect Torres Strait Islanders from the devastating effects of climate change.

A judge overseeing a class action against the Australian arm of Thai state owned oil giant PTT has rejected attempts to limit the claimed damages from one of Australia's largest oil spills, saying the disaster was "widespread" across Indonesian islands in the Timor Sea.

Approving coal mine projects is not the business of courts, the Morrison government has argued in its challenge to a landmark class action judgment that found it had a duty of care to protect Australian children from the effects of climate change.

Victoria's environment watchdog has been taken to court over its decision to renew the licences of the state's three remaining coal power stations, a test case under the state's Climate Change Act and the latest in a series of climate lawsuits.

An action before the High Court by two Melbourne drivers will challenge the constitutional validity of Victoria’s electric vehicle tax.

Federal environment minister Sussan Ley has approved a controversial coal mining project that is expected to release 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere, despite a landmark ruling that the government has a duty of care to consider the impact of fossil fuel projects on the next generation of Australians.

A judge has rebuked the Morrison government for approving a gas exploration contract with a subsidiary of Empire Energy in the Beetaloo basin without notifying the environmental organisation leading a climate change lawsuit over the project.

Two law firms behind landmark courtroom battles over climate change say they’re seeing a greater appetite for litigation by individuals and corporations who are concerned about the impacts of climate change and the government’s inaction on the issue.

Dam operator Seqwater will find out this week if its decision not to settle with group members in a class action over the 2011 Queensland floods has paid off.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia faces shareholder action seeking records on its financing of gas and fossil fuel projects to ensure compliance with the bank's environmental framework, the latest in the next frontier of litigation demanding climate change accountability.