Few success stories came out of this year’s COP. Nevertheless, we’ve compiled COP29’s five (very modest) achievements and five of its most notable failures.
On November 12, 2024, the Hague Appeals Court overturned a landmark 2021 decision ordering oil giant Shell to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 45% from 2019 levels by 2030.
On October 17, 2024, Ontario’s Court of Appeal sided with a group of young climate activists in its Mathur v Ontario decision, reviving a case against the province which was previously dismissed in April 2023.
On October 9, 2024, the Canadian government announced that it will establish a “Made-in-Canada” sustainable investing taxonomy, and institute mandatory climate disclosure requirements for large, federally-incorporated private companies.
Justice Ginsburg’s death has reduced the liberal-leaning (and pro-climate) justices on the nine-member court to a minority of three. If a third Trump nominee is approved by the Senate (and this remains an open question), a conservative majority of six justices will be capable of radically stripping back the administrative state’s regulatory power over matters such as greenhouse gas emissions, health care, and labour law.
