The False Claims Act settlement follows similar Justice Department resolutions with Deloitte and IBM over federal contractors’ alleged use of race or sex in employment decisions.
The agency is also advancing a broader interpretation of the Clean Air Act that could restrict future federal regulation of power-sector emissions – with environmental groups promising legal action.
The Australian state has proposed reforms restricting who can object to mining leases as the government seeks to curb what it calls environmental ‘lawfare’ and end the automatic referral of objections to the Land Court.
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer partner Antony Crockett says South Korea’s forthcoming sustainability reporting regime will align with international standards – but obtaining reliable value-chain data could again prove a major challenge.
The agreement resolves state and local government litigation over contamination linked to Chemours’ Fayetteville Works facility and adds to a growing body of PFAS settlements shifting remediation and drinking-water costs towards chemical manufacturers.
The DC Circuit has ruled that the US Department of Energy exceeded its emergency powers by preventing the retirement of a Michigan coal plant, finding that the Federal Power Act reserves such intervention for electricity supply risks requiring immediate federal action.
EU simplification, a greater focus on financial materiality and the prospect of tougher enforcement are changing how companies approach sustainability, Kirkland & Ellis partner Rebecca Perlman tells Forward Law Review.
The European Parliament’s economic and monetary affairs committee has backed its position on reforms to the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation – moving the proposed replacement of the Article 8 and Article 9 framework closer to negotiations with EU member states.
The lawsuits challenge newly adopted federal rules that narrow longstanding protections for endangered and threatened species, with potential consequences for biodiversity safeguards and the permitting of development and energy projects.
The Dutch NGO’s claims over ING’s financed emissions and fossil fuel financing have cleared the admissibility stage. Loyens & Loeff lawyers Marit Bosselaar and Sjoerd Pennink say arguments over the effectiveness of Scope 3-related relief are unlikely to provide defendants with an early procedural exit.
The European Commission wants public buyers to give greater weight to sustainability when awarding contracts, introduce mandatory green requirements for certain products and bring the CSDDD’s public procurement provision into the new framework.
The proxy adviser says a US administration demand for confidential client voting data could expose it and its clients to retaliation for protected speech and voting decisions, as the SEC seeks a court order compelling disclosure.
A US federal court has vacated the environmental review underpinning a major gas-fired power plant in Tennessee, in a significant ruling on the requirements of federal environmental law.
Opportunity Green’s Em Fenton says the IMO’s shipping climate framework emerged intact from September negotiations, preserving support for its economic element ahead of a potentially decisive meeting in December.
Companies could lose specific statutory ESG disclosure requirements as the UK government moves towards a financial-materiality model for corporate reporting.
Plastic caps used alongside aluminium foil lids must remain attached to beverage containers during use, while the aluminium component is exempt from the requirement.
Berlin-based Linklaters partner Markus Appel and managing associate Sebastian Meyn examine the EU's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation as the European Commission signals an unusually accommodating approach to initial enforcement.
Importers could face new requirements to identify supply chain participants, provide foreign customs documents and trace goods and raw materials as the US strengthens customs and forced labour enforcement.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has asked the Department of Homeland Security to explain its enforcement of US forced labour import restrictions amid concerns over declining detention activity and goods entering through third-country supply chains.
New Zealand has stopped short of requiring companies to conduct human rights due diligence, but Bell Gully partner Richard Massey says the proposed disclosure requirements could encourage businesses to investigate and address risks within their supply chains.
The General Court found that the commission could not reconsider climate targets set by EU lawmakers when determining national emissions allocations, leaving the NGOs' substantive claims over the adequacy of the EU's 2030 ambition unexamined.
AB 40 would require a full environmental impact report before discretionary approval of large coal handling, storage or export facilities, with the legislation now awaiting Governor Gavin Newsom's decision.
The 50-page document explains how authorities will investigate suspected forced labour, assess company due diligence and enforce product bans ahead of the regulation's application in December 2027.
Singapore will begin collecting its sustainable aviation fuel levy for passenger and general and business aviation flights from October, while delaying its application to air cargo by one year.
CARB has set a 10 November deadline for the first Scope 1 and Scope 2 disclosures, while allowing existing emissions reports, alternative calculation methods and, in some circumstances, submissions without emissions data.
Eighteen state attorneys general have urged the SEC to reject calls for action against S&P, Moody's and Fitch, arguing that pressure to exclude climate and energy-transition risks could interfere with independent credit rating methodologies.
The petition challenges a June ruling upholding the EPA's decision to tighten the annual fine particulate matter standard, raising questions over the agency's power to revise air-quality limits outside the Clean Air Act's five-year review cycle.
The False Claims Act settlement is the latest under the Justice Department's Civil Rights Fraud Initiative targeting federal contractors accused of falsely certifying compliance with anti-discrimination requirements.
The ruling finds New York cannot impose its US$75 billion liability scheme on fossil fuel companies for emissions beyond its borders, with the parties ordered to tell the court how they wish to proceed by 14 September.
The ruling rejects constitutional challenges to Oregon's packaging and recycling regime following a five-day trial, as similar extended producer responsibility laws face litigation in California and Colorado.
The move follows the regulator's decision to end its no-action process and could reshape the federal framework governing which shareholder resolutions reach company proxy statements.
The list gives importers initial guidance on when carbon prices already paid overseas may reduce their UK CBAM liability, ahead of the mechanism taking effect in 2027.
The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility has agreed to discontinue its appeal against the Federal Court of Australia's dismissal of its climate disclosure case against oil and gas company Santos, bringing litigation that began in 2021 to an end.
The measure could repeal federal greenhouse gas limits for fossil fuel-fired power plants and adopt a new interpretation of the Clean Air Act that could restrict future regulation of power-sector emissions.
Coalition led by Nebraska, Texas, Alaska and Florida claims Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC's support for climate disclosure initiatives may breach professional duties, consumer protection laws and government contracts.
Proposed changes to the IMO Net-Zero Framework could significantly alter its carbon pricing mechanism and funding for developing countries, according to a new Opportunity Green analysis published ahead of negotiations in September.
Forward Law Review is inviting law firms to nominate outstanding associates working across sustainability and ESG law for Forward Next, a new editorial survey recognising the next generation of lawyers in the field.
The Treasury is considering changes to assurance, guidance and supply-chain information requirements under Australia's mandatory climate reporting regime, with the government seeking to reduce compliance costs while maintaining the quality of disclosures.
The US Supreme Court's forthcoming Boulder case could determine the future of state climate liability claims against energy companies, with Our Children's Trust founder Julia Olson arguing that efforts to restrict both state litigation and federal regulatory authority create a fundamental legal tension.
Nevada has sued the US Department of the Interior over new rules governing Colorado River operations, alleging that the federal government failed to comply with environmental law and existing agreements when determining how future water shortages should be shared.
Eleven-judge panel is considering whether deficiencies in assessments of downstream emissions were sufficient to invalidate approvals for the Breidablikk, Tyrving and Yggdrasil developments.
Coalition asks federal court to halt enforcement of SB 54 while constitutional challenge proceeds, adding a due process claim after a separate court blocked California's recyclability labelling law.
With over 1,200 articles, the Ecological and Environmental Code brings carbon trading, greenhouse gas disclosure and climate adaptation into a consolidated statutory framework alongside pollution control and ecological protection.
Environmental group alleges the administration unlawfully decided to eliminate climate research functions at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and failed to follow required procedures over the planned closure of its Boulder headquarters.
Businesses using actual emissions data will need monitoring plans and accredited verification, while reliance on default values can increase the emissions attributed to imported goods.
New national planning policies give substantial weight to renewable energy projects while introducing a more restrictive approach to coal, oil and gas extraction and limiting additional local biodiversity requirements.
Canada's ability to deliver critical minerals for the energy transition and allied defence will depend in part on effective consultation, early engagement and meaningful indigenous participation, says McMillan's group head of ESG and sustainability, Radha Curpen.
Legislation will bar existing and future tort claims arising from greenhouse gas emissions, including Mike Smith's landmark case against six major corporate emitters.
The ruling preserves federal requirements that can expose companies responsible for releases of the two 'forever chemicals' to cleanup costs under the US Superfund law.
The US regulator will no longer assess companies’ grounds for excluding shareholder proposals, ending a longstanding source of regulatory guidance in disputes over which resolutions reach a shareholder vote.
Mike Smith argues the Crown’s climate response breaches rights in a case examining the extent to which government climate policy can be challenged through the courts – parallel to his high-profile climate tort case against six major New Zealand emitters.
Washington is seeking limits on the CSDDD's application to US companies, restrictions on penalties and private litigation, and safeguards against climate requirements being reintroduced through EU guidance.
Brazil has laid the foundations for a national carbon market, but critical regulatory decisions will determine whether it succeeds – and companies should prepare now, argue Tauil & Chequer Mayer Brown partners Luiz Gustavo Bezerra and Gedham Gomes.
The Constitutional Court found that belated consultation could not remedy infringements of communities' rights and drew on the International Court of Justice's 2025 opinion on states' climate obligations.
The UK Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling on downstream emissions is increasingly appearing in climate cases beyond Britain, as courts confront similar questions over how the consequences of fossil fuel projects should be assessed.
As courts around the world grapple with increasingly complex climate disputes, judges are looking beyond their own jurisdictions for guidance while continuing to apply their own domestic legal frameworks, Margherita Cornaglia tells Forward Law Review.
New EU-wide requirements apply from today, including limits on PFAS in food-contact packaging, with wider recyclability, reuse and recycled-content obligations to follow.
The full appeals court has left in place a June ruling that the 22 young plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge three executive orders, closing another route to revive their constitutional claims.
The agreements with 3M, DuPont, Chemours and Corteva combine cash payments with long-term funding and remediation obligations as litigation over who should bear the costs of PFAS contamination expands in the US and internationally.
Recent lawsuits in the US and Canada suggest fiduciary duties may become a growing legal battleground over how pension funds, investment managers and financial institutions address climate risk, write Conor MacDonald and Charles Slidders at the Center for International Environmental Law.
The aviation industry is pushing back against EU fuel rules and carbon pricing as courts, regulators and campaign groups increase scrutiny of how sustainable aviation fuel is described.
Homeowners in Washington have filed a class action lawsuit against several major oil and gas companies and their industry association, alleging that their actions led to extreme weather events and rising home insurance costs.
The European Commission publishes transition pathways to guide company climate plans – just as parliament moves to delete CSDDD transition plan duties, putting greater weight on CSRD reporting.
Twenty-one airlines have agreed to modify their terminology around sustainability claims following an investigation by the EU Consumer Protection Cooperation Network – but Constantin Eikel, partner at Bird & Bird, says this will provide the industry with much more certainty than other sectors.
Spanning 15 countries and five continents, the Forward 40 highlights outstanding lawyers working at partner and counsel level who are shaping the future of legal practice in this fast-changing field.
“Poland's failure to submit its national strategy highlights the urgent necessity for all Member States to ensure coordinated and ambitious action and avoid any delay in the collective progress towards 2030 objectives,” the European Commission says.
The Ontario Securities Commission has filed an application for enforcement proceedings against asset manager Purpose Investments and its CEO Som Seif for allegedly misleading ESG-related sales communications.
The Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth has written to 28 large corporations asking them to submit their climate transition plans for assessment. Milieudefensie says it aims to “recognise frontrunners, encourage those in the middle tier to strengthen their climate policies, and hold laggards accountable”.
The SEC “has no intention of allowing the Climate-Related Disclosure Rules to go into effect,” says commissioner Caroline Crenshaw, after the US regulator tells the Eighth Circuit it will not clarify its position on the rules.
African businesses are likely to be widely affected by new EU corporate disclosure rules on human rights and sustainability, write partner Kate Paterson and associate Sibongile Sibeko at Bowmans in Johannesburg – and may face serious consequences if they fail to act.
The European Parliament has given the go-ahead to delay CSRD reporting by two years to 2028 and to push back the application of CSDDD by one year to July 2028. The proposal passed by 531 to 69, with 17 abstentions.
Companies that integrated ESG teams into complaint responses often engaged more constructively – emphasising long-term reputational and operational benefits over short-term legal risk mitigation, writes Sheri Meyerhoffer, Canada’s former Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise.
As defence budgets expand, financial institutions and fund managers will need to clarify their approach to defence alongside their ESG commitments, writes Rachel Lowe, special regulatory counsel at Proskauer in London.
Paul Weiss is the third law firm to be targeted by President Trump, who accuses it of hiring an “unethical attorney” and discriminating against its own employees through its DEI policies. Trump’s executive order implied more firms may be sanctioned.
“Given the First Amendment’s protection of a university’s freedom to determine its own curriculum, and how to deliver it, the constitutional violation behind this threat is clear,” says the dean of Georgetown Law in response to a letter demanding the elimination of all DEI from the school and its curriculum.
An 11th hour accord was reached in the United Nations-led COP 16 meeting in Rome to set up a fund to protect biodiversity, after negotiations failed to reach a conclusion in Cali, Colombia, in October 2024. But more needs to be done, say NGOs.
Germany joins France, Denmark and Spain in publishing position papers on the forthcoming Omnibus – but the scale of their recommendations varies significantly.
Olof Gill, Commission spokesperson for transparency, said on 3 January in response to ClientEarth’s complaint about amendments to its document transparency laws:
“Transparency is of...
Over the last five years, the incidence of environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related litigation involving retirement funds globally has grown about 100% per year, writes David Geral, partner at Bowmans in Johannesburg. In South Africa, it is no longer a question of if, but when, the first retirement fund will face litigation.
The US government has released regulatory guidance on its clean fuels production credit – as the EU’s rules on sustainable aviation fuel come into effect.
The project assesses the climate policies of 30 jurisdictions with the help of pro bono contributions from 48 law firms and aims to address the “implementation gap” between climate targets and results. The team behind the initiative and lawyers on its advisory board talk to Forward Law Review.
The European Commission has approved the plan and says competition will not be distorted in supporting the steel producer’s transition from coal-based production to a low emission system.
The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that Aloha Petroleum’s insurance policy does not cover for damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions as they are pollutants under the policy wording.
The World Economic Forum has published an open letter signed by over 100 corporate leaders from companies such as AstraZeneca, BBVA, Deloitte, Enel and Siemens AG.
Consultancy urges boards to take a more proactive role in making net zero central to the way their businesses operate – before policymakers and resource scarcity force them to do so.
Court criticises “absurd” legal arguments made by West Cumbria Mining and applies Supreme Court ruling that long term or ‘downstream’ contributions to fossil fuel emissions must be taken into account in environmental impact assessments.
A group of five NGOs has initiated legal proceedings against the European Commission after it rejected their request to review its decision to classify some types of aviation and shipping as eligible for inclusion in the EU sustainable finance taxonomy.
A landmark greenwashing fine against investment company Mercer Superannuation heralds a tighter regulatory framework for ESG financial products in Australia.
A second round of negotiations with member states has succeeded where the first failed: the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive will finally come into force on 26 July 2024.
