Editor's note: This article is part of an occasional Law.com International series on the increasing role that environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are playing in law and business around the world.


Even if Australia's recently elected government adheres to its promise to reduce carbon emissions and increase the use of renewable energy, David Barnden, the nation's most active climate litigator and one of the world's most well-known environmental lawyers, expects to remain busy for many years to come.

ESG logo"We're going to be faced with a situation where there's going to be a lot of suffering, a lot of loss, a lot of damage to lives and livelihoods," Melbourne-based Barnden said. "And there's going to be people who want to use the court system to obtain compensation and redress for those losses and for where there's been misconduct and legal wrongs."