A U.S. judge has said a climate change lawsuit filed by young people challenging Montana's pro-fossil fuel policies will go to trial despite the state's efforts to derail the case. . . .
In 2011, the Marshall Islands and Palau sought to put a climate case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It failed to gain enough traction. Why it matters: On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly took the extraordinary step of adopting, by consensus, a resolution that would do just that. It's asking the court for an advisory opinion laying out what countries' obligations are to protect the climate in order to secure human rights. . . .
The small Pacific island country of Vanuatu is poised to gain UN approval to seek an unprecedented legal opinion on what obligation countries have to combat climate change. Why it matters: Vanuatu's resolution would give the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague a chance to weigh in on potential consequences for nations that have caused much of global warming to date. . . .
Whenever anyone dares to suggest that disinformation is bad, one of the most common knee-jerk reactions is to cry, 'The First Amendment protects freedom of speech!' But the fossil fuel industry's false advertising isn't protected by the First Amendment, and you don't have to take our word for it. . . .
John Nolon, distinguished professor of law emeritus at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, is widely seen as one of the most prominent thought leaders in land use law. The roots of this focus, which fueled a career that spanned decades, can be traced to his childhood on a ranch in Nebraska. . . .
