Australia: Climate Change

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment has made history by intervening in Australian Federal Court proceedings challenging the extension of Woodside's North West Shelf gas project until 2070. The intervention raises critical questions about how international environmental law obligations should inform the interpretation of Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, particularly regarding climate change impacts and heritage

Australia's Environment Protection Reform Act 2025 introduces mandatory greenhouse gas emissions disclosure requirements for projects requiring federal environmental approval, while establishing the National Environmental Protection Agency as the new federal environmental regulator. Despite extensive debate, the reforms stopped short of implementing a "climate trigger" that would have made significant emissions a standalone matter of national environmental significance.

As Group 2 entities commence their first reporting period under Australia's mandatory climate reporting regime, ASIC's early observations highlight key disclosure expectations and areas for caution.

Malaysia is among the countries advancing adoption of International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards.

The Australian Government's Gas Market Review Report (December 2025) calls for fundamental reform of the East Coast gas market to address forecast supply...

Insights from the 2025 United Nations Business and Human Rights Forum in Geneva.

Comparable changes have simultaneously been made to the South-East Queensland Water (Distribution and Retail Restructuring) Act 2009.

Welcome to the June 2025 edition of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer's Australian ESG bulletin, ‘Keeping Up with ESG'.

The enforcement wave and what companies and directors need to know to stay compliant.