Release of the draft text Thursday 17 November saw the UN climate agency publish the draft text of the COP27 overarching agreement, the focus of the last week of negotiations and the document that will symbolise COP27 for years to come. The text appeared to still be in a very preliminary stage and many voiced … Read more

At the launch of the World Meteorological Organisation’s State of the Global Climate 2021 Report, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said that renewable energy technologies, such as battery storage, should be treated as essential and freely-available global public goods. Read more

Australia’s courts largely say yes in two employment disputes but context still matters. The principles deciding if a worker is an employee or independent contractor are a perennial subject of employment disputes the world over. Some useful answers on the point came on 9 February 2022, when the Australian High Court delivered decisions in CFMMEU … Read more

Joining William Powell and Joseph Murphy of Natural Gas World, Lewis McDonald discusses what the future now looks like in terms of investments in energy, namely oil and gas. Given the burgeoning global population, rising standards of living and climate goals, there has been a serious increase in awareness and concern in global climate change around the world. The environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda is now at the top of many companies’ priorities though currently appearing to mainly affect companies in Europe and less so in Asia. Prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, ESG was the major issue being discussed in board rooms. With about 12,000 entities, together controlling around $14 trillion, divesting or wanting to divest from fossil fuels primarily based on consumer demand and consumer sentiment and where the laws and regulation are heading, we have seen rather a chilling effect on investment in the oil and gas sector – and the big question is ... where does it all go from here… Read more