The European Court of Human Rights delivered its long-awaited first ruling in the climate action case Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz v. Switzerland, finding that the European Convention on Human Rights encompasses the right to effective protection from adverse effects of climate change.
On Tuesday, Ontario’s Superior Court struck down several provisions of the province’s controversial Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, an “ag-gag” law which acts to shield the animal agriculture industry from reasonable scrutiny, and conceal its systemic cruelty.
On March 6, 2024, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted new rules that, per the SEC press release, will “enhance and standardize climate-related disclosures by public companies in public offerings.”
In this report, we provide a broad overview of 2024’s animated Canadian climate law and policy landscape.
On April 14th, Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice dismissed the climate action case Mathur v. Ontario, in which seven youth plaintiffs alleged that Ontario’s lacklustre 2018 climate plan, adopted following Doug Ford’s election to premier, violates the Charter rights of today’s youth and future generations.
The lawsuit alleges Ontario’s provincial government, under the leadership of Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford, violated the s. 7 (life, liberty and security of the person) and s. 15 (equal protection) Charter rights of the plaintiffs and future generations when it cancelled Ontario’s cap and trade program and adopted a new, less-ambitious climate plan as compared with the previous government’s.
On July 31st, Ireland’s Supreme Court held that the Irish government’s current climate plan failed to meet the requirements set out in the statutory Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act of 2015. The ruling will require the government to (a) revise its plan to realise greater near-term emission reductions, and (b) better specify how Ireland will achieve the Act’s long-term objective of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
