Earlier this month, an Australian law firm took on a case to represent eight teenagers and a nun in their fight against a decision made by the government to build an extension to a coal mine in New South Wales.
The case was launched on behalf of young people everywhere, whose future will be threatened by climate change if the extension to the Vickery coal mine in Whitehaven is built, the claimants argue.
One of them, 16-year-old Laura Kirwan, said that as a young person, she can’t vote to have her voice heard by politicians, and believes her government has a duty to young people to protect their futures from climate change, including stopping the climate impacts of the new coal mine.
If successful, other proposed mines in Australia could face similar legal challenges.
David Barnden, principal lawyer, Equity Generation lawyers
This case opens a few months after the same firm, climate risk specialists Equity Generation lawyers, represented a 23-year-old Melbourne student who is suing the government for misleading investors in sovereign bonds by failing to disclose the financial risk caused by climate change. The case is the first of its kind.
On this podcast, David Barnden, principal lawyer at Equity Generation Lawyers, talks about the legal case against those responsible for climate change, and the chances his clients have of winning.
Tune in as we talk about:
- The trends in climate litigation
- A case to prevent a coal mine—on behalf of young people everywhere
- How can you prove that one environment minister has a duty to protect all young people?
- Public support for climate litigation: For or against?
- The future of climate litigation
