Climate change

Appointment of arbitrators, Asia-Pacific, Climate change, Court Assistance, Expedited arbitration, Expedited Proceedings, Insolvency, Institutional Rules, Investor-State arbitration, Northeast Asia, SIAC, SIAC Symposium 2023, Singapore, Singapore International Arbitration Centre, Southeast Asia, Technology

(Sidley Austin LLP) and (Allen & Overy LLP)/ /Leave a comment
YSIAC

The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC”) held the SIAC Symposium, its flagship conference, during the Singapore Convention Week on 28 August 2023. The SIAC Symposium featured a conversation with Minister K Shanmugam, SC (Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, Singapore) and a plenary address by Justice Judith Prakash (Justice of the Court of…

Climate change, COP 26, Paris Agreement, Sustainability, Sustainable economy

, , (King & Wood Mallesons)/ /1 Comment

The shift from a carbon-intensive economic model to a net-zero economy by 2050 will result in an increasingly significant role for carbon markets. A proliferation of business activities in the carbon trading space will require seismic regulatory change across global jurisdictions. In this evolving landscape, common issues have begun to emerge including: the practical and…

Australia, Climate change, Investment, Investment Arbitration

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Herbert Smith Freehills

The recently reported investment treaty claim by Singapore-based mining company Zeph Investments (“Zeph”) against Australia appears to be the latest in investor-State dispute claims arising out of climate change-related measures introduced by States. The claim was first disclosed on 10 July 2023 by the Attorney General’s Department of Australia in response to a question on…

Canada, Climate change, Energy, ICCA, VanIAC

(Miller Titerle + Company)/ /Leave a comment

On an exceptionally sunny day in Vancouver, Canada, Vancouver International Arbitration Centre (VanIAC) and International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) hosted a joint conference entitled “Energy Infrastructure Disputes and Arbitration: Today and Tomorrow”. The one-day conference kicked off with a traditional welcome by Wilson Williams (Sxwíxwtn) of the Squamish Nation on June 2, 2023. After…

Canada, Climate change, Energy Dispute, ICCA, VanIAC

(Woods LLP)/ /Leave a comment

During the first days of June, the scenic Canadian city of Vancouver hosted several events of interest to the arbitration community. The biggest of these was the June 2 joint conference organized by the Vancouver International Arbitration Centre (“VanIAC”) and the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (“ICCA”), which will be discussed in a separate blog…

Climate change, Empirical Research, Energy, Surveys

(Climate Change Counsel) and (MDisputes)/ /1 Comment

The energy transition lies at the heart of climate change mitigation efforts.  A new survey by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) in collaboration with Pinsent Masons, the Future of International Energy Arbitration Survey Report, (“the Energy Report” or “the 2022 QMUL Survey”) (see also here) offers guidance to anticipate and mitigate those risks for…

Climate change, ECT Withdrawal, Energy Charter Treaty, Energy Dispute, Enforceability, Enforcement, ESG, Europe, LIDW 2023, Political Risk Insurance, Ukraine, War

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The Panel “The Future of Major Energy Projects Crises, Challenges, and Opportunities” took place on the penultimate day of the London International Disputes Week 2023 (“LIDW 2023”) on 18th May 2023 in the London office of McDermott Will & Emergy with panellist Armando Neris from McDermott Will & Emery, Lucian Ilie from Outer Temple Chambers,…

Climate change, ECT Modernisation, ECT Withdrawal, European Union, ISDS Reform

(University of Cambridge)/ /Leave a comment

By the end of April 2023, observers of the ECT modernisation process may have felt as if they were waiting for Godot. The vote on the outcome of the ECT modernisation process, scheduled to take place at an ad hoc meeting of Energy Charter Conference at the end of April 2023, was postponed for the…

Climate change, ECT Modernisation, Energy Charter Treaty, Environment, International Investment Law, International Law, Investment Arbitration, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS, ISDS Reform

(Armesto & Asociados)/ /Leave a comment

The defining challenge of the 21st century is undoubtedly climate change. There is consensus that we need to reduce the level of carbon emissions and abide by the scientific community’s directions to preserve our environment; we are beyond preventing harm – our current urgency is mitigation. We seem united in our common goal to meet…

ADR, Arbitration, Climate change, Cross-border transactions, Energy Charter Treaty, Energy Dispute, Green Arbitration, ISDS, Surveys

(School of International Arbitration, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)) and (Three Crowns LLP)/ /Leave a comment

The past year has seen a variety of exogenous impacts to global energy markets: from the sanctions flowing from Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, to the supply chain aftershocks of the COVID Pandemic, to hiccups in the commercial and government policy implementations of the global Energy Transition. International arbitration too has seen its share…

Achmea, Balkans, Climate change, Energy, Energy Charter Treaty, Paris Agreement

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Amid a push for more decisive action toward energy transition, countries around the world are facing pressure to innovate and adopt sweeping legislative amendments, all while trying to avoid investment claims by foreign investors affected by the changing regulatory frameworks. Among the countries performing this balancing act, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other Western Balkans countries…

Africa, Climate change, COVID-19, Empirical Research, Surveys

(Dr. Kamal Hossain and Associates)/ /Leave a comment

The results of two surveys on arbitration in Africa-related disputes were released in 2022. Both surveys drew responses from the continent’s diverse regions and legal systems. Respondents were given the choice to answer questions in either English, French, Arabic, or Portuguese. In April 2022, the African Arbitration Academy released its Survey on Costs and Disputes…

Climate change, Environment, KCAB, Renewable energy, Seoul ADR Festival

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On the second day of the 11th Asia-Pacific ADR Virtual Conference, the KCAB, the South Korean Ministry of Justice, the ICC Court of Arbitration and UNCITRAL hosted a panel on the state of the energy markets in 2022. The panel was moderated by Dr. Wolfgang Peter (Senior Partner, Peter & Kim) and the panelists included…

Brazil, CBAr 21st, Climate change, Corporate, Corporate disputes, Environment, ESG, International environmental disputes, Latin America, South America

(Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Advogados – BMA)/ /Leave a comment

From 28 to 30 September 2022, the Brazilian Arbitration Committee – CBAr held its 21st International Arbitration Conference (“21st CBAr IAC” or “Conference”) in Rio de Janeiro. Considering the rising number of arbitration proceedings related to corporate disputes, the subject of this year’s Conference was “Arbitration and Corporate Law”. The 21st CBAr IAC was a…

Climate change, ECT Modernisation, Energy Charter Treaty, EU Law, International arbitration

(Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment)/ /Leave a comment

Seeing the Agreement in Principle on Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) “modernization” and its leaked full text, the “modernization” misnomer can safely be abandoned. The renegotiated ECT does not rise to the mounting global challenges regarding energy investment, climate action, and sustainable development. The ECT reform process missed the mark in nature, scope, ambition, and speed…

ADR, ALARB, Climate change, Dispute Resolution, Dispute Settlement, Environment, International environmental disputes, Uncategorized

(Independent Practitioner based in Bogota, Colombia)/ /Leave a comment
Asociación Latinoamericana de Arbitraje (ALARB)

This contribution comments on growing global trends in climate change and the important role arbitration can play in the settlement of this type of dispute, specifically in the future dispute resolution landscape in Latin America. In June 2022, the Center for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP) and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change…

Africa, Artificial Intelligence, Asia, Climate change, ICCA, ICCA Edinburgh 2022, Legitimacy, Reform, Technology, Working Group III, Young Arbitration

(CMS), (Law Society of Scotland), and (DWF LLP)/ /Leave a comment

The second day of the ICCA Congress took place on Tuesday, September 20. Delegates gathered in the morning for the presentation of the inaugural ICCA Guillermo Aguilar-Alvarez Memorial Prize, established in honour of former ICCA Governing Board Member Guillermo Aguilar-Alvarez. Professor Stefano Azzali said a few words on the life and career of Guillermo, fondly…

Arbitration clause, China, Climate change, Corruption, Emergency Arbitrator, Hong Kong, Impecuniosity, India, Interim measures, Philippines, Transparency

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At the recent hybrid 7th ICC Asia-Pacific Conference on International Arbitration (the “Conference”), a palpable sense of happiness and community resonated throughout the day.  Mr Justin D’Agostino (Global CEO, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hong Kong) moderated the first panel discussion in a quick fire manner on recent arbitration developments in the Asia-Pacific region with leading practitioners…

Climate change, Investor-State arbitration, LIDW2022, Mediation, Sustainability

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On the second day of the 2022 LIDW, LIDW members gathered in the Westminster Hall Center to discuss this year’s topics: Dispute Resolution – Global, Sustainable, Ethical?   The Keynote Address The keynote address was given by Lucy Greenwood, (Greenwood Arbitration, Campaign for Greener Arbitration), Jenny Hindley, (Mishcon de Reya, Greener Litigation) and John Sturrock QC, (Core Solutions,…

Arbitration, Climate change, COP 26, Sustainability, Sustainable economy

(Peking University)/ /Leave a comment

As the climate crisis has intensified, much has been said about the roles that arbitration can play in the collective global response – including during the recent BVI Arbitration Week, which coincided with the Glasgow climate conference. Arbitration has been utilised as a tool for resolving disputes as market mechanisms have developed to deliver greenhouse…

Arbitration, BIT, Climate change, Environment, International arbitration, Investment Arbitration, Reform, Regime Interaction, Regime Interaction in Investment Arbitration

(Climate Change Counsel)/ /Leave a comment

Nearly 30 years have passed since world leaders signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (“UNFCCC”), agreeing to combat “dangerous human interference with the climate system.” For many of those years, nobody seemed to take that commitment very seriously. But things look different now: climate law has hit its stride. At COP26 in November…

Climate change, Dispute Resolution, Energy, Governmental policies, HK Arbitration Week, Renewable energy

(Latham & Watkins LLP)/ /Leave a comment

On day one of the Hong Kong Arbitration Week 2021, Latham & Watkins LLP (“Latham & Watkins”) hosted a virtual workshop to explore the role of renewables in a rapidly changing world and how this growth will impact disputes in renewables and other energy markets. Ing Loong Yang, Partner at Latham & Watkins (Hong Kong),…

Climate change, Customary international law, Dispute Settlement, Environment, ICSID Arbitration, International Investment Law, International Law, Uncategorized

(Squire Patton Boggs - Paris)/ /Leave a comment

ISDS has faced harsh criticism from environmental groups as being inimical to the protection of the environment. This post argues that environmental protection is an emerging jus cogens norm, and thus, an arising erga omnes obligation, which investment tribunals must recognize as such. Additionally, it explores the legal consequences of applying this public international law…

Achmea, Arbitration Proceedings, Climate change, Energy Charter Treaty, International arbitration, Investment Arbitration, ISDS, Netherlands, Paris Agreement

(Smallegange, Dutch Arbitration Association)/ /Leave a comment

Western European countries have taken divergent approaches to dealing with the consequences of shutting down power plants while transitioning towards cleaner energy sources. On one side, Germany resolved the resulting compensation disputes by making settlement payments to the owners of affected nuclear and coal power plants. In contrast, the Netherlands appears reluctant to similarly compensate…