Tim will discuss the recent decision of the NSW Land and Environment Court to refuse approval for the Gloucester Coal Mine. This controversial and much-publicised decision has opened up new challenges for proponents of resource and fossil fuel projects in dealing with climate change, especially the prominence given to greenhouse gas emissions arising from the downstream use of the coal and to Australia’s commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement.
The Court’s judgement also raised the bar on evaluating the socio-economic impacts of the proposed mine.
This important decision has implications beyond NSW, and the Tim will discuss these implications and lessons learnt from the Court’s judgement.