Climate change: Is Australia the equivalent of Kodak?

Dutch court shows Australian court the meaning of climate change responsibility. Is Australia the nation equivalent of Kodak or Blockbusters and the Netherlands like Netflix?

There are two types of law courts in this world, those which proactively care about the world our grandchildren will inherit and those that don’t. In two landmark rulings yesterday, A Dutch court showed it cared, an Australian court, by contrast, sits...well you make up your mind where the Australian court sits regarding our grandchildren.

In Holland, the district court in The Hague ruled that Royal Dutch Shell must cut carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030.

In Australia, the federal court ruled not to block the expansion of a coal mine planned by Whitehaven Coal, ruling against the eight teenagers who brought the action.

As ever, with these things, there is nuance. The Australian court did, in fact, rule that the Australian environment minister has a duty of care to protect young people from climate change.

The Austrian ruling has surprisingly been hailed by some as a victory in the war against climate change.

Greta Thunberg tweeted: “This is a huge win for the whole climate movement... Of course, the action needed is still nowhere in sight, but these court cases are symbolic breaking points that could have huge snowball effects.”