Australia’s High Court on Wednesday ruled in a major coal mine expansion case that a local planning authority failed to properly consider measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions. A lower court had found scope 3 emissions from customers burning the coal would account for about 98% of the project’s potential pollution. The decision will directly affect New South Wales coal mine approvals and could serve as a precedent for similar projects nationwide; roughly 30 new or expanded coal projects are

Australia’s High Court on Wednesday ruled in a major coal mine expansion case that a local planning authority failed to properly consider measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions. A lower court had found scope 3 emissions from customers burning the coal would account for about 98% of the project’s potential pollution. The decision will directly affect New South Wales coal mine approvals and could serve as a precedent for similar projects nationwide; roughly 30 new or expanded coal projects are seeking government sign-off. Australia’s coal export sector is about A$70 billion (US$49 billion); miners warn approval delays could hit jobs and damage Australia’s standing as an energy supplier.