2025 - 2026 Climate Highlights

Professor Jackie Peel shares a seasonal summary of twelve 2025 highlights and what to expect in 2026.

2025 highlights

1. 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝑶𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏 on the climate change obligations of states - 23 July 2025. Historic ruling from the world court on what countries must do under international law to tackle climate change.

2. 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓-𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑹𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝑶𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏 on human rights and the climate emergency - 3 July 2025. Finding that the obligation not to cause irreversible damage to the climate and the environment is jus cogens.

3. NSW Court of Appeal ruling in 𝑫𝒆𝒏𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝑬𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑮𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑 𝑰𝒏𝒄 𝒗 𝑴𝑨𝑪𝑯 𝑬𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂 - 24 July 2025. A landmark decision in Australia finding the need for assessment of downstream greenhouse gas emissions and the localised effects of climate change.

4. Federal Court decision in the 𝑷𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒊 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 referred to as the 'Australian Climate Case' - 15 July 2025. Not the outcome many hoped for with this suit brought by Indigenous Torres Strait Islanders against the Australian government for climate loss and damage but important rulings endorsing the science nonetheless.

5. The 𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 (ACCC)𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 '𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈' 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆 against Australian Gas Networks - June 2025. The ACCC lawsuit alleges that the gas distributor made false and misleading representations in its ‘Love Gas’ TV and digital advertising campaign by suggesting the gas it distributes to households on its network will be renewable within a generation.

6. A judgment rendered - 10 years on - in the 𝑳𝒍𝒊𝒖𝒚𝒂 𝒗 𝑹𝑾𝑬 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆 - May 2025. Again, not what many hoped for in this long-running, first mover case on corporate climate liability with no finding of damages but acknowledgement nonetheless that companies responsible for large-scale emissions can be held liable for the climate-related harms they contribute to.

7. The 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 turns 10 - November 2025. On its 10th birthday, the Agreement is fully operational with the third cycle of Nationally Determined Contributions and first cycle of transparency reporting.

8. COP30 𝑴𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒓ã𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 in Brazil - November 2025. No direct mention of fossil fuels (again) but kept the multilateral climate negotiations process alive.

9. 𝑨𝒏 𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑪𝑶𝑷31 - well, almost. The 31st UN Climate Summit (COP31) will be held ... in Türkiye, but with Australia as the presidency for the negotiations.

10. 𝑯𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, the EPBC Act, pass Parliament - 28 November 2025. It's been a long time coming (25 years) and still no climate trigger but negotiations with the Greens at least kept plans for fast-tracking new coal and gas projects off the table.

11. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) holds a 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 across all three working groups in Paris - December 2025.

12. Filipino survivors of Typhoon Rai file a 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍 in UK courts - 11 December 2025.

In 2026, I'll be watching out for:

1. The Australian High Court appeal in the Denman case - the first Australian climate case to reach the nation's highest court. I'm apprehensive.

2. Cases challenging the Woodside North West shelf gas extension project in the Federal Court - featuring, for the first time ever, an intervention from the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment.

3. The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights advisory opinion on African states' human rights obligations regarding climate change expected sometime in mid-to-late 2026.

4. The first international conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels being held in Santa Marta, Colombia in April 2026. Pacific nations have committed to convening a subsequent meeting in the region to advance the outcomes.

5. The Türkiye-Australia partnership for COP31 - can it deliver for the Pacific and 1.5 aligned climate policy half a world away?

Wishing everyone a safe, restful holiday season. The Laureate program team on global corporate climate accountability will be back from February 2026.