---
title: Pacific nations fight to take climate harm to the highest court
description: Nations in the Pacific at the frontlines of climate change, such as the country of Tuvalu, are taking their fight for survival to the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, as rising sea levels and natural disaster continue to threaten lives and livelihoods.
---
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The Canopy is a weekday morning email newsletter provided by the team at Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
# Pacific nations fight to take climate harm to the highest court
Monday, 24 July 2023
Nations in the Pacific at the frontlines of climate change, such as the country of Tuvalu, are taking their fight for survival to the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, as rising sea levels and natural disaster continue to threaten lives and livelihoods
An El Nino has been declared by the World Meteorological Organisation, which could bring with it strong economic consequences, and a $1bn gas field in Queensland is awaiting environmental approvals and will soon test the Labor government’s gas price cap.
**Top stories:**
[Pacific nations fight to take climate harm to highest court](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-21/pacific-nations-fight-to-take-climate-harm-to-highest-court/102631868)
The Prime Minister of Tuvalu, one of the nations most at risk from rising sea levels caused by climate change, says his country is running out of time.
[How El Niño could affect the economy and cost of living, with upward pressure on food prices](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2023-07-22%2Fel-nino-food-inflation-price-hikes-commodities-bom%2F102632198&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=RI2DRpY2xLHo2dLxJaFoHYEvQoU&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5hYmMubmV0LmF1In0.G6KfJQf9DTg3BPfDRnL8aNk-KGOfbZc12czKSTcqj9BstN0qGFyj-TGroGNT_097qH1_WRMtfq5v4vGs7BrXgQ)
El Nino is well known for its impact on weather patterns across the globe, bringing hotter, drier weather to Australia, Indonesia and South-East Asia, and wetter than normal conditions to the southern United States and parts of South America. But research has found the natural phenomena could also have strong economic repercussions.
[Billionaires’ Qld gas deal hinges on controversial price cap, approvals](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heraldsun.com.au%2Fnews%2Fqueensland%2Fbillionaires-qld-gas-deal-hinges-on-controversial-price-cap-approvals%2Fnews-story%2F042a58c0423f5226c3da5149ba513383&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=woRbPa7_ofPHWGrzI8appKPY6oo&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5oZXJhbGRzdW4uY29tLmF1In0.tyvzxwnT4YHYtOKwk-QXfhLIB-5fakWVeDsIsFbN-UKoLJR_SD3ZgVClMjrILbZY1pK5qxxShDGuqS6LG4A-kA)
A $1 billion gas field expansion will power a major Queensland manufacturer, in a gas supply deal hailed as securing “long-term local manufacturing” jobs, but it hangs on environmental approvals and the Albanese Government’s controversial gas price cap.
[NSW communities warned to prepare for bushfires, after crews battle more than 800 blazes this month](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2023-07-23%2Fnsw-communities-warned-to-prepare-for-bushfire-season%2F102633180&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=dLgAn4I34Qhp8XzmXOeQBY5_C60&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5hYmMubmV0LmF1In0.G6KfJQf9DTg3BPfDRnL8aNk-KGOfbZc12czKSTcqj9BstN0qGFyj-TGroGNT_097qH1_WRMtfq5v4vGs7BrXgQ)
After three years of La Niña, which brought record rainfall and floods, communities are now readying themselves for the return of hot, dry conditions and the bushfire hazard they will bring.
[World-first clean energy deal taps deep local knowledge](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fau.news.yahoo.com%2Fworld-first-clean-energy-deal-223000904.html&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=sdXXa9r-z787co8cPfOXIv9cHmU&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6ImF1Lm5ld3MueWFob28uY29tIn0.KBqWhace6cXts2jpM3KPTdbTZRgfZrAHswZTS14QPgcnR6MabVxvsPDBrSjQ_YsGO_sbyl2Z5IymY2oPJNEA2w)
Kununurra-born Lawford Benning says Aboriginal clean energy is about celebrating beautiful country without hurting it.He is a key voice in a $3 billion proposal to produce hydrogen and ammonia in Western Australia's majestic East Kimberley from abundant sunshine and an existing reservoir of fresh water.
[Tuvalu Welcomes Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior](https://www.miragenews.com/tuvalu-welcomes-greenpeaces-rainbow-warrior-1051887/)
Greenpeace’s vessel the Rainbow Warrior has arrived in Funafuti, Tuvalu - the second stop on its Pacific Ship Tour.
[Record-breaking heatwave baking southern United States set to expand ](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fworld%2Frecordbreaking-heatwave-baking-southern-united-states-set-to-expand%2Fnews-story%2F285cbb312dddec3de376b977e4004697&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=wbmURV5CoYXL3FV4zfTwuqLTKDk&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy50aGVhdXN0cmFsaWFuLmNvbS5hdSJ9.1vY3spCFUUyGhEDyLIBXg29p-26pmzXzwzE2oZZbe-c6TeCw918owAs9OyVpNyuNC5HcZKjScGkzQdfI9fLuVQ)
A record-breaking heatwave stretching across the southern United States is expected to expand in the coming days and weeks, as scientists warn July will likely be the hottest month ever recorded.
[Calls for SUV drivers to pay higher parking fees to fight pollution](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.com.au%2Ftechnology%2Fmotoring%2Fmotoring-news%2Fcalls-for-suv-drivers-to-pay-higher-parking-fees-to-fight-pollution%2Fnews-story%2Fc6512d368d73b8a5a255e5d57ccd2f4d&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=y1LO9rgu2vGJ3odd5ltuWtIXSRM&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdSJ9._9eIk96tIPNTjXwzMngn8CFnjBniEWEG71sNjH2GiqhhnqHvoch0hnhg2EgYcYnFoZnfeMpFAgXVacvMtxi1Pg)
There are calls online for Aussie SUV drivers to be charged more for parking due to their size, weight and motor, in a move that would follow recently announced plans in Paris.
[The missing factor preventing the BoM from declaring an El Nino event](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smh.com.au%2Fpolitics%2Ffederal%2Fthe-missing-factor-preventing-the-bom-from-declaring-an-el-nino-event-20230720-p5dpwj.html&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=K5AYGQCVVS_eax4TBy1afufNo20&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5zbWguY29tLmF1In0.dLrErlrnr5ygrw6r9BmLnD1I0aNYVH93_YJo5EofLTHngNTsac5xMwvusd5MeI2-ZEAd-GcYmYdqdbniemYuyQ)
The Bureau of Meteorology has become an outlier among global weather agencies by refusing to declare an El Nino event, despite record-breaking heatwaves torching long-standing temperature records around the world.
[Why Geelong residents are making the switch to an electric home](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heraldsun.com.au%2Fnews%2Fgeelong%2Fwhy-geelong-residents-are-making-the-switch-to-an-electric-home%2Fnews-story%2F00f8c5090965ab9431158b15fa1d5bc4&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=NfQ-4r7N31X5zHgckoSZdritXEE&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5oZXJhbGRzdW4uY29tLmF1In0.tyvzxwnT4YHYtOKwk-QXfhLIB-5fakWVeDsIsFbN-UKoLJR_SD3ZgVClMjrILbZY1pK5qxxShDGuqS6LG4A-kA)
Geelong Sustainability last week announced the launch of its Electric Homes program, which is designed to help households across the region transition to an all-electric, solar-powered future.
[Pope urges world leaders to do more to tackle climate change](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fau.sports.yahoo.com%2Fpope-calls-world-leaders-more-103150878.html&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=H-sag4luaPZqD9OEmPXyMnrqm7c&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6ImF1LnNwb3J0cy55YWhvby5jb20ifQ.HpWRCOdLkabXlwaJhh2ij51ok_TuHr3E4GFNDQ8hB9V89XITix9EGzjSRC6iMU7B7wx5pmVIlTk39flUCGzdbQ)
Pope Francis said on Sunday that recent heat waves across many parts of the world and flooding in countries such as South Korea showed that more urgent action was needed to tackle climate change.
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