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16 June 2023 / David Greene
Issue: 8029 / Categories: Opinion , Climate change litigation , Environment , Public
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The (litigation) road to net-zero

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Governments & corporations worldwide are facing ever-increasing challenges relating to climate change, as David Greene explains

The development of climate change and environmental, social and governance (ESG) litigation across the world gathers pace but, as evidenced by recent UK decisions, there remain some basic hurdles for campaigners and litigants as they test fundaments of responsibility and liability at law.

Getting claims off the ground

As covered previously in NLJ the court in McGaughey and another v Universities Superannuation Scheme Ltd (USSL) and others [2022] EWHC 1233 (Ch) refused permission for members of the USSL pension scheme to pursue a derivative action against the investment policies of the trustees in relation to fossil fuels (see 'No green light (yet) for climate actions', 172 NLJ 7994, pp9-10), They sought to bring a derivative claim through USSL, not under the procedure for shareholders governed by Pt 11 of the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006), but at common law as non-shareholders. This will always be a challenge and the court

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A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
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Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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