Environmental law
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In focus
Why the case against Bristol Airport’s expansion is a bellwether for the future of climate litigation
Earlier this year an attempt to halt the expansion of Bristol Airport on climate grounds was quashed in the High Court, but the judge’s opening remarks should give food for thought to any chief executives running a high-emitting company, writes Nina Pindham
Latest environmental law news
Legal comment
Legal comment: Why Dartmoor’s wild camping case will have wider implications for the countryside
Contrary to popular understanding – and byelaws dating back to 1989 – there is no right to camp on Dartmoor commons, according to an important judgment from the High Court. However, with the government having just made a commitment to increase public access to nature, the case is unlikely to be the last word on the topic, writes Ned Westaway
Why directors can be personally held to account for environmental harm caused by their companies
The separate legal status of one company director’s waste firm was not enough to prevent him being personally punished in the Court of Appeal for his business’ lack of environmental compliance, and senior managers across the country should take note, writes Simon Tilling
Legal comment: Why EU nature conservation laws have survived Brexit - for now
The Court has ruled that despite Brexit, certain parts of the EU-derived Habitats Directive remain enforceable by domestic courts, and has ordered the Environment Agency to prepare a plan for complying with the Directive in respect of the Broads Special Area of Conservation. However, the claimants’ victory may prove short-lived, writes Angus Evers
Legal comment: Why a quashed appeal for wind farm planning permission will bring uncertainty for developers
The court’s decision to uphold a ruling which refused planning permission for an offshore wind farm due to its impact on the landscape is likely to cause uncertainty for developers, as achievement of energy targets is not given decisive weight under the current Scottish planning system, writes Laura Tainsh
Legal comment: The practicalities of cases where property rights meet environmental regulations
When a minerals supplier took Natural England to the High Court this year the case produced some particularly practical advice for lawyers. Nina Pindham of No.5 Barrister’s Chambers explains
Legal comment: Nutrient neutrality in the courts - the limits of precaution
A judge’s dismissal of a legal challenge against Natural England’s nutrient neutrality advice is an important restatement of the reluctance of the courts to intervene in technical cases, writes Ned Westaway
Environmental law analysis
‘The unethical environmental lawyer’: Does the legal profession need to rethink its green ethics?
In a world where the existential threat of climate change and environmental harm is rising up the agenda, do environmental lawyers need to rethink the ethics of their work when batting for clients contributing to the problem? Isabella Kaminski speaks to some of the lawyers asking awkward questions about who should bear responsibility for planetary harms
Does anyone actually know how many EU retained environmental laws there are?
As the controversial Retained EU Law Bill returns to Parliament, the lack of certainty over just how many EU retained environmental laws DEFRA will need to review, reform or repeal by the end of this year is frustrating environmental lawyers and policy experts, finds Catherine Early
How much do we know about the UK’s PFAS problem?
Datasets used to produce a map of PFAS contamination across Europe reveals a number of hotspots across the UK, however knowledge of the scale of the problem remains limited. Rachel Salvidge and Leana Hosea explain what we know – and what we don’t – about the UK’s PFAS problem
Is the UK absent from the fight against PFAS ‘forever chemical’ pollution?
Nations are scrambling to combat the risks posed by forever chemicals in rivers and drinking water by toughening up regulation, but the UK appears to be lagging behind, find Rachel Salvidge and Leana Hosea
The ENDS Briefing: The policy changes to expect from the Environment Act targets
All the information you need to anticipate the implications of the new Environment Act targets in terms of policy and regulation, including expert analysis of what achieving them will require, and which sectors are set to be most impacted by them
Scorecard summary: Where the EA is meeting its objectives - and where it is falling short
The Environment Agency has published its latest assessment of its performance against its corporate targets, including on air and water quality, incident response, and the diversity of its own workforce. Click through to view the targets it assesses good progress against, and those it believes it will miss
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From ENDS Europe
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MEPs push to make ecocide a crime, but clear political divisions remain
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PFAS ban proposal: 9 things you need to know
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ECHA unveils proposed blanket ban on ‘forever chemicals’
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Global plastics production continues apace as clamp-down looms
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‘Arguing like children’: Acrimony as RED talks cancelled over delay to green hydrogen rules
From ENDS Waste & Bioenergy
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Failed Port Clarence biomass-fired plant finally confirms RDF switch
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Varme Energy’s CEO talks UK-based EfW plans
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Petrofac to support UK’s first carbon capture and shipping hub
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Only two EfW plants make it through latest CCS-cluster cull
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Suez pressing ahead with Teesside-based EfW carbon capture project