Court rules Australian minister has no climate duty of care

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An appeals court has overturned a groundbreaking ruling that Australia’s environment minister had a duty to protect younger people against climate change. Eight Australian teenagers took Environment Minister Sussan Ley to court in 2020 in a bid to prevent her from approving the expansion of a coal mine. They lost their attempt to stop the mine’s expansion, but their lawyers claimed victory from the judge’s ruling last year that Ley had a duty to prevent future climate harm. Three Federal Court judges ruled Tuesday for a variety of reasons that the court should not impose on Ley a duty of care.