Australian High Court rules authorities must consider climate impacts of fossil fuel projects-Xinhua
CANBERRA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Australia's highest court on Wednesday upheld a landmark ruling that planning authorities must consider the climate impacts of proposed fossil fuel projects. The High Court on Wednesday voted to dismiss an appeal brought by coal miner MACH Energy against an earlier decision by the Court of Appeal in the state of New South Wales (NSW). The appeal court in 2025 ruled unanimously that the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) failed to properly consider local climate effects when it approved Mach Energy's bid to expand and extend the operating life of its Mount Pleasant coal mine north of Sydney in 2022. The appeal against the IPC decision was brought by an environmental group led by local residents. Anita O'Hart, a lead lawyer for the environmental gr...