April 2025 saw regulatory developments on vehicle emissions standards in both the European Union ("EU") and the United Kingdom ("UK"). These changes will be of significant interest to vehicle manufacturers, as well as users...more
6/17/2025
/ Automotive Industry ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Motor Vehicles ,
New Regulations ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
UK
The UK's Climate Change Act 2008 requires the UK government to set five-year carbon budgets that cap total greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions. The UK is currently operating within its Fourth Carbon Budget, which covers the...more
6/16/2025
/ Aviation Industry ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Net Zero ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Renewable Energy ,
Shipping ,
UK
On December 18, 2024, the Advertising Standards Authority ("ASA"), the UK's regulator of advertising, issued a ruling against Lloyds Bank plc ("Lloyds") following a complaint by Adfree Cities, a network challenging corporate...more
3/24/2025
/ Advertising ,
Advertising Standards Authority ,
Banks ,
Climate Change ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
False Advertising ,
Financial Institutions ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Lloyds Banking Group ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
UK
New ESG regulations are expected to have a significant impact on disclosure and governance obligations for EU and non-EU companies alike, including extensive sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements on...more
12/11/2024
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Mines ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hague Convention ,
Infrastructure ,
Pollution Control ,
Shell Oil
In December 2022, planning permission was granted by the secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities ("SoS") to extract coal from a coal mine in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England. The project would have been the...more
REGULATORY ISSUES & UPDATES -
Update on Australia's New Climate-Related Financial Disclosure Regime -
Australia's mandatory climate-related financial disclosure regime is inching closer to implementation after the proposed...more
9/23/2024
/ Clean Air Act ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Popular ,
Tax Credits
The Situation: On June 20, 2024, the UK Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision in R (on the application of Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group) (Appellant) v Surrey County Council and others (Respondents) [2024]...more
7/19/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
UK ,
UK Supreme Court ,
Urban Planning & Development
REGULATORY ISSUES & UPDATES -
Recent Evolution of the European Regulatory Framework on Greenwashing -
Two new Directives adopted by the EU in 2024—the "Empowering Consumers Directive" and the "Green Claims...more
6/20/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Human Rights ,
Net Zero ,
Power Plants ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainability ,
Tax Credits
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted much anticipated climate-related disclosure rules....more
3/18/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Emissions Trading System ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Highway Administration ,
Financial Institutions ,
Green Buildings ,
Green Energy ,
Green Infrastructure ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Proposed Rules ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
UK
In December 2023, the United Kingdom's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero ("DESNZ") launched two consultations to garner views on the efficient operation of the UK's Emissions Trading Scheme ("ETS")....more
REGULATORY ISSUES & UPDATES -
Mandatory Climate Change Reporting Requirements Under the New European ESRS E1 -
The implementation of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards poses risks for reporting companies,...more
12/5/2023
/ Clean Water Act ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Data Protection ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Agency Taskforce ,
Green Initiatives ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
NEPA ,
Net Zero ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
SFDR ,
State and Local Government ,
Sustainability ,
Taxonomy ,
U.S. Treasury ,
UK
REGULATORY ISSUES & UPDATES -
New CFTC Enforcement on Carbon Markets Misconduct -
The U.S. CFTC publishes a rare alert soliciting tips about potential manipulation in the carbon markets and announces the formation of...more
8/18/2023
/ Airlines ,
CARB ,
CFTC ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
HFC Emissions ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
UK
"Green Day" in the UK -
As part of its "Powering Up Britain" strategy, the UK government has published a series of documents setting out its vision for the UK's transition to net zero and the strengthening of UK energy...more
Incoming: Mandatory Climate Risk Disclosures in Australia -
The Climate-Related Financial Disclosure Consultation Paper proposes that, commencing with the 2024/2025 financial year, large, listed entities and large...more
The UK's former Energy Minister, Chris Skidmore MP, has conducted an independent review of the UK government's Net Zero Strategy. The strategy seeks to ensure that the UK reduces its greenhouse gas emissions by 100% from 1990...more
REGULATORY ISSUES & UPDATES -
European Taxonomy Regulation Extended to Natural Gas and Nuclear Energy -
The regulation is likely to create new opportunities for natural gas and nuclear energy in the European Union,...more
REGULATORY ISSUES & UPDATES -
UK Introduces New Climate-Related Disclosure Regulations for UK Companies and LLPs -
The Companies (Strategic Report) (Climate-related Financial Disclosure) Regulations 2022 ("the...more
6/1/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Energy Reform ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The Companies (Strategic Report) (Climate-related Financial Disclosure) Regulations 2022 ("the Regulations") came into force on April 6, 2022. The Regulations amend the Companies Act 2006 and largely implement the...more
The delegated regulation includes a new comprehensive and unified reporting methodology to direct investments toward environmentally sustainable economic activities....more
3/1/2022
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Investment ,
Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) ,
Net Zero ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Taxonomy
Three months after hosting the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, and as required by the Climate Change Act 2008, the UK government published its third five-year risk assessment of climate change on the United Kingdom. This...more
2/28/2022
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
Infrastructure ,
Investment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Assessment ,
Scientific Research ,
UK
Three months after hosting the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, and as required by the Climate Change Act 2008, the UK government published its third five-year risk assessment of climate change on the United Kingdom....more
Climate Change Regulatory Issues & Updates -
New NEPA Proposed Rule from CEQ Leaves Uncertain How U.S. Federal Agencies Must Assess Climate Change Impacts -
On October 7, 2021, the Council on Environmental Quality...more
11/5/2021
/ Advertising ,
Biden Administration ,
Carbon Emissions ,
CEQ ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Marketing ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Regulatory Agenda
Climate Change Regulatory Issues & Updates -
European Climate Law Sets a Binding Objective of Climate Neutrality by 2050 -
The recently adopted European Climate Law calls for the necessity to address "the growing...more
7/28/2021
/ Cap-and-Trade ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Fair Dealing Exception ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Mineral Leases ,
NEPA ,
Offshore Lease ,
Oil & Gas
The Climate Change Act 2008 requires the UK government to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions by 2050. Progress toward this commitment is to be driven via a series of five-year carbon budgets. The sixth budget,...more
European Commission Announces 2030 Climate Target Plan -
As part of the European Green Deal—and flowing from the European Commission's (the "Commission") December 2019 announcement of a 2050 zero carbon target across the...more
11/12/2020
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Efficiency ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
EU ETS ,
European Commission ,
Green Deal ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Paris Agreement ,
Renewable Energy