The Glen McLeod Legal team attended a seminar hosted by the National Environmental Law Association (WA) (NELA) on the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions in Western Australia (WA).

In March 2019 the Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia released an Environmental Factor Guideline on Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Guideline). The Guideline required major WA resources projects to 100% offset their greenhouse gas emissions. NELA hosted a seminar to discuss the Guideline, the role of policy in environmental impact assessment and the response from industry, which lead to the Guideline being withdrawn.

We heard from a panel of speakers which included the Hon Robert French AC, Dr Tom Hatton the Chairman of the WA Environmental Protection Authority, Bronwyn Bell the manager of natural resources at the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia and Dr Jatin Kala, a climate scientist from Murdoch University and lead author on Chapter 1 of the IPCC Report: Global Warming of 1.5C.

A memorable quote from the former Chief Justice, the Hon Robert French AC, was his statement that “statutes do not speak for themselves” in reference to the need for policy to give operational life to the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (WA).