ENVIRONMENTAL COURT CASES ACROSS THE WORLD

The High Court of Ireland ruled on 19 September 2019 that the government's 2017 National Mitigation Plan was lawful, despite reports that Ireland would fail to meet its 2020 greenhouse gas emission targets. The court determined that the government maintains wide policy-making discretion and that the Plan, as an initial step toward a 2050 goal, did not breach constitutional rights to life or bodily integrity. While the court acknowledged the scientific consensus on the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate global warming, it concluded that intervening in the Plan's specific targets would violate the separation of powers.

• The High Court ruled that the 2017 National Mitigation Plan was lawful and consistent with international obligations, stating that the government has broad discretion in choosing mechanisms to reach the 2050 target set by the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015.
• The court rejected the claim that the National Mitigation Plan violated constitutional rights to life, bodily integrity, and a reasonable environment, characterizing the Plan as only 'a piece of the jigsaw' and an initial step toward the 2050 goal.
• The court determined that because the 2015 Act does not mandate specific intermediate targets, the Plan cannot be in breach of the Act; the court further argued that ruling otherwise would infringe upon the separation of powers.
• Despite the ruling against the applicant, the court explicitly recognized climate science, acknowledging that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is necessary to prevent or mitigate global warming, though it noted that mandatory court orders against the state require a 'clear disregard' for constitutional obligations.

APA

Natural Justice (2019). ENVIRONMENTAL COURT CASES ACROSS THE WORLD. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Environmental-Court-Case-Series_Friends-of-the-Irish-Environment.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. ENVIRONMENTAL COURT CASES ACROSS THE WORLD. 2019. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Environmental-Court-Case-Series_Friends-of-the-Irish-Environment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=ENVIRONMENTAL COURT CASES ACROSS THE WORLD |date=December 2019 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Environmental-Court-Case-Series_Friends-of-the-Irish-Environment.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2019environmental, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{ENVIRONMENTAL COURT CASES ACROSS THE WORLD}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Environmental-Court-Case-Series_Friends-of-the-Irish-Environment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }