Climate

An initiative designed to help law firms respond meaningfully to the climate crisis has launched in the UK ahead of London Climate Action Week. Legal Charter 1.5, which has been developed by a group of law firms, consists of a set of core principles that signatories commit to in order to reduce gree

The importance of optimising land use to electrify the economy and meet the UK’s net zero ambition has been revealed in a report from TLT and real estate consultancy Gerald Eve. Competing land use priorities, from renewable generation and green infrastructure to industry, affordable housing, f

On 2 February 2023 the UK government passed the The Climate Change (Targeted Greenhouse Gases) Order 2023 in response to a campaign by the Scottish Climate Emergency Legal Network (SCELN) to amend the UK’s Climate Change Act 2008 (CCA 2008) and close a significant gap in the governance of gree

A reclaiming motion by a renewables company against a Lord Ordinary’s decision not to grant them a remedy against a decision of the Scottish Ministers has been refused by the Inner House of the Court of Session. NLEI Ltd had sought to develop a windfarm at a site on the Queensberry Estate near

Judges from Germany have visited Peru to examine the level of environmental damage allegedly caused by Europe’s greatest emitter in what could be a landmark climate case. The delegation visited a glacial lake in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca mountain range to find out if Germany’s large

In her recent article in The Scotsman, Queen Noor of Jordan urged the G20 nations to acknowledge that there is a diplomatic emergency. As she and other members of the Scotia Group have argued in recent months, states must commit themselves to more ambitious targets, increase financial and practical

Greenpeace has failed in its challenge to the grant of consent to drill at BP's Vorlich field, East of Aberdeen. The decision of the Inner House of the Court of Session earlier this month is the latest in a rapidly growing series of activist challenges to the approvals or permits for oil and gas, ma

DLA Piper has been appointed by the UK government as the provider of legal services for the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow this November. The firm will provide general commercial support to the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) including in respect of sponsorship a

Malcolm Gunnyeon considers the domestic implications of a recent corporate emissions decision from the Netherlands. The recent landmark ruling by the Dutch courts against Royal Dutch Shell, one of the world’s biggest energy companies, is a stark warning to large emitters everywhere of the pote

Should climate change be a mandatory part of legal education to prepare Scotland's lawyers of the future? Or, would having a universal definition of 'ecocide' help to tackle climate change globally? Scots Law students have been challenged to write or record their views on climate change and the law

Businesses could soon face a deluge of legal actions brought against them over greenhouse gas emissions due to advances in climate science, according to experts. In excess of 1,500 legal actions have already been initiated against fossil fuel companies which have played a major role in carbon emissi

The civil justice system also has its part to play in tackling the climate emergency, writes John Sturrock QC. CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is at record levels, higher than for 3 million years. According to the former Governor of the Bank of England, and now UN special envoy on climate action

A survey carried out by the Law Society of Scotland ahead of the 26th UN Conference on Climate Change (COP26) shows that climate change raises a number of issues for the legal profession. This includes practical issues around the conference itself, which is likely to impact on local businesses and t

Dr Thomas Muinzer details the work of the Scottish Climate Emergency Legal Network this year. Since its inaugural meeting at the Legal Services Agency, Glasgow, on January 20 at the beginning of this year, the Scottish Climate Emergency Legal Network (SCELN) has been meeting on a regular basis, enga

Construction companies, engineering firms and other businesses active in the infrastructure sector stand to lose out on funding, investment and major government contracts around the world unless they take a more active role in the fight against climate change. A growing imperative for infrastructure