Australian and Pacific Climate Change Litigation

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This database records litigation (including settled cases and court orders) on issues of climate change in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. It encompasses cases across several different substantive categories including:

  1. Project Approval (mitigation) cases.
  2. Project Approval (adaptation) cases.
  3. Corporate Accountability cases.
  4. Constitutional and Human Rights / State Accountability cases.
  5. Cases that broaden access to justice in climate cases.

Australia presently has the second largest number of climate cases globally and the most significant adaptation jurisprudence of any country. Climate litigation is likely to continue to grow in New Zealand and Pacific Island countries.

For details of litigation elsewhere in the world you can find this information on the climate change case charts maintained by the Sabin Center for Climate Law at Columbia University and the LSE Grantham Institute’s Climate Change Laws of the World database.

The database adopts a broad definition of ‘climate litigation’. This includes cases where: climate change is a central issue in the dispute, climate change is raised as a peripheral issue, climate concerns motivate the lawsuit, or the case has implications for mitigation or adaptation (Peel & Osofsky 2015, p.8). There is also some inclusion of non-court based cases e.g. legal letters, tribunal decisions etc.

The Australian and Pacific Climate Change Litigation database is continually being updated with new cases. If you are aware of relevant cases from Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific Islands which do not yet appear in the database please let us know at melbourne-climate-futures@unimelb.edu.au. Melbourne Climate Futures is a multidisciplinary climate initiative established by the University of Melbourne to contribute to greater action on climate change @MCFunimelb, #MelbourneClimateFutures.


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SELECT LITIGATION TYPE:

  • Access to Justice
    • Costs13 cases
    • Other9 cases
    • Protest Activities5 cases
    • Transparency/disclosure3 cases
    • View all 30 cases.
  • Constitutional and Human Rights / State Accountability
    • Constitutional rights7 cases
    • Duty of Care5 cases
    • Human rights17 cases
    • Renewable energy1 case
    • Statutory Duty8 cases
    • Transparency/disclosure7 cases
    • View all 45 cases.
  • Corporate Accountability
    • Carbon credits / offsets6 cases
    • Consumer protection9 cases
    • Environmental harm5 cases
    • Negligence / Nuisance3 cases
    • Other1 case
    • Renewable energy2 cases
    • Shareholder actions1 case
    • Transparency/disclosure18 cases
    • View all 45 cases.
  • Project Approval - Adaptation
    • Bushfire risk27 cases
    • Coastal hazard49 cases
    • Flood risk48 cases
    • Land valuation4 cases
    • Local government liability2 cases
    • Other7 cases
    • Sea level rise19 cases
    • Threatened species6 cases
    • Water16 cases
    • View all 178 cases.
  • Project Approval - Mitigation
    • Coal mine35 cases
    • Coal-fired / gas-fired power station12 cases
    • Costs1 case
    • Energy efficiency8 cases
    • Gas / Oil17 cases
    • Hydropower2 cases
    • Other18 cases
    • Solar energy12 cases
    • Threatened species2 cases
    • Urban Planning / Transport15 cases
    • Wind farm26 cases
    • View all 148 cases.

SELECT JURISDICTION:

  • Australian Capital Territory
    • Fair Work Commission Full Bench1 case
  • Federal
    • Administrative Appeals Tribunal3 cases
    • Australian Information Commissioner1 case
    • Australian Patent Office1 case
    • Federal Court of Australia35 cases
    • High Court of Australia5 cases
    • National Native Title Tribunal2 cases
    • Other10 cases
    • Refugee Review Tribunal of Australia1 case
    • View all 58 cases.
  • New South Wales
    • Corners Court New South Wales2 cases
    • Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales1 case
    • Local Court of New South Wales1 case
    • New South Wales Land and Environment Court70 cases
    • Supreme Court of New South Wales6 cases
    • Supreme Court of New South Wales - Court of Appeal4 cases
    • View all 84 cases.
  • Northern Territory
    • Supreme Court of the Northern Territory1 case
  • Queensland
    • District Court of Queensland2 cases
    • Queensland Body Corporate and Community Management Commissioner - Adjudicators Orders1 case
    • Queensland Land and Resources Tribunal2 cases
    • Queensland Land Court11 cases
    • Queensland Planning and Environment Court14 cases
    • Supreme Court of Queensland4 cases
    • Supreme Court of Queensland - Court of Appeal2 cases
    • View all 36 cases.
  • South Australia
    • South Australian Environment, Resources and Development Court2 cases
  • Tasmania
    • Tasmanian Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal1 case
  • Victoria
    • Planning Panels Victoria6 cases
    • Supreme Court of Victoria7 cases
    • Supreme Court of Victoria - Court of Appeal1 case
    • Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal114 cases
    • View all 128 cases.
  • Western Australia
    • State Administrative Tribunal of Western Australia7 cases
    • Supreme Court of Western Australia5 cases
    • View all 12 cases.

SELECT AN INTERNATIONAL JURISDICTION:

  • International
    • Australian National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines1 case
    • United Nations2 cases
    • View all 3 cases.
  • New Zealand
    • Court of Appeal of New Zealand5 cases
    • District Court of New Zealand1 case
    • Environment Court of New Zealand54 cases
    • High Court of New Zealand33 cases
    • New Zealand Advertising Standards Authority1 case
    • New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal11 cases
    • Planning Tribunal of New Zealand2 cases
    • Supreme Court of New Zealand3 cases
    • View all 110 cases.
  • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea National Court of Justice2 cases

Select a .pdf to download:

  • Trends in Australian Climate Litigation: 2021
  • Trends in Australian Climate Litigation: 2020
  • Trends in Australian Climate Litigation: 2019

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Case Number Trend In Australia

Case Number Trend In New Zealand

Litigation Type Trend In Australia

Litigation Type Trend In New Zealand

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Litigation Type Breakdown In Australia

Litigation Type Breakdown In New Zealand

Jurisdiction Breakdown in Australia