Over the past year, climate related litigation has continued to evolve, with several landmark decisions shaping the global legal landscape. While the overall number of new strategic climate cases filed globally in 2024...more
This month's ESG Regulation Monthly Round-Up covers the two months of the summer holidays. There is still a lot to report with a number of publications from the UK Financial Conduct Authority, EFRAG and others....more
Some things aren’t. In keeping with its familiar journalistic standards, the New York Times presents fact-free opinion in a place (page 1, top of the fold) usually reserved for news, this time in its July 26-27 International...more
A recent report "Australia's Waste[d] Opportunity 2025" (AWO Report) has identified that Australia's construction industry stands as the nation's largest source of waste, which reportedly contributes to a staggering 29% of...more
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently delivered a landmark advisory opinion clarifying the legal obligations of States under international law to address climate change. The opinion was published on July 23, 2025,...more
As climate litigation spreads across Europe, the European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") is increasingly asked to evaluate whether insufficient climate action by States may violate the rights enshrined in the European...more
“[T]he questions posed by the General Assembly represent more than a legal problem: they concern an existential problem of planetary proportions that imperils all forms of life and the very health of our planet. … [A] lasting...more
On 23 July 2025, the International Court of Justice (the “ICJ”), the highest judicial body of the United Nations, issued its long anticipated Advisory Opinion on climate change (the “Advisory Opinion”). ...more
On July 23, 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark advisory opinion, holding that nation-states have obligations under international law to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, adapt to the...more
In a landmark advisory opinion dated 23 July 2025, the International Court of Justice (“ICJ”) has unanimously found that States are legally bound to protect the environment from greenhouse gas emissions (“Opinion”). We...more
The climate debate has whipsawed in recent years. Businesses frequently have been caught in the middle, with stakeholders including government regulators, activist investors, consumers, non-governmental organizations, and...more
In a unanimous decision on July 23, 2025, the fifteen judges on the United Nations’ International Court of Justice (“ICJ”), also known as the “World Court,” concluded that the production and consumption of fossil fuels “may...more
The Opinion interprets member states’ responsibilities under treaty and customary international law. In a sweeping and landmark declaration, the Opinion advises that member states have a duty to reduce emissions, regulate...more
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague thrust itself into the energy/climate debate last week. Via a unanimous advisory opinion issued in connection with a complaint filed by the nation of Vanuatu, the ICJ...more
The International Court of Justice ("ICJ") stated that States have legal obligations to regulate emissions and may be held internationally responsible for climate inaction—including the failure to effectively regulate...more
The International Court of Justice has been asked to issue an advisory opinion on this question, and is currently hearing submissions from States, NGOs and international organisations. The International Court of Justice...more
The Tribunal confirmed that States party to UNCLOS must take measures to prevent marine pollution caused by climate change, on top of their obligations under the Paris Agreement. On 9 April 2024, the International...more
On 13 July 2023, the International Court of Justice (“ICJ” or the “Court”) in Question of the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf between Nicaragua and Colombia beyond 200 Nautical Miles from the Nicaraguan Coast (Nicaragua...more
On March 29, 2023, the United Nations ("UN") General Assembly adopted a resolution requesting the International Court of Justice ("ICJ") to issue an advisory opinion on States' obligations regarding climate change under...more
The United Nations General Assembly, the UN’s primary policy-making body, has adopted a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of its 193 member states...more
On March 29, 2023, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 77/276, marking a watershed moment in the global fight against climate change. The resolution requests an advisory opinion from the International Court...more
On Jan. 17, a U.S. citizen brought a $110 million lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for damages caused by Curaçao and St. Maarten government actors. The basis for the suit, Ansary v. Central Bank...more
As detailed in an October 2, 2018, Skadden client alert, the United States’ efforts to revise the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) reached a milestone on September 30, 2018, when the U.S., Mexico and...more
The World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement system has been a remarkably good tool for resolving disputes, but it is not perfect and like any mechanism that has been in use for some time, it needs updating. The last...more
On August 6, 2018 President Trump issued an executive order re-imposing certain sanctions that were lifted under the 2016 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ('JCPOA'). These include the prohibition of...more