Climate wins in the high court
As a climate case reached the high court, a Sydney data centre was shelved and a new ocean plastic partnership was forged.
A Hunter Valley community group chalked up a landmark win in the High Court this month in what's been described as Australia’s first high-court climate case.
The court ruled in the community group’s favour that the approval in 2022 of a lengthy extension for the Mount Pleasant coal mine in the Hunter Valley was invalid.
The foundation for the ruling was that the NSW planning authorities had failed to consider imposing conditions aimed at minimising emissions when the coal was sold and burnt overseas, according to a news report in The Guardian.
The question now being asked by climate advocates is how the ruling will affect other coal mines in NSW, including the recent approval of the state's largest ever extension of two open cut coal mines into the 2040s.
The National Climate Risk Assessment has found NSW to be of the areas facing the most significant and rapid increase in climate hazards in Australia, according to the Climate Council.
Island nations such as Vanuatu, already suffering substantial climate impacts, have been pushing for increased legal accountability in international courts by fossil-fuel producing countries.
An International Court of Justice advisory opinion issued last year said that governments may be found in breach of international law if they failed to curb fossil fuel production and consumption, approved new fossil fuel projects, or continued providing public funding for fossil fuels.
The UN Global Assembly has since voted to back the resolution, and as the world’s second largest exporter of coal, Australia's leaders clearly have some political soul searching to do.
Data centre discord
The community pushback this month did not stop at coal mines, with public sentiment souring over the prospect of noise, water shortages and higher power bills for those living near data centres.
