Financial and corporate disclosure of climate change risk - its role and recent developments

摘要

Today, 'dig and dump' practices are much less common because of regulatory developments and economic drivers such as more stringent industry standards, greater prevailing knowledge on hazardous substances, the landfill tax regime and the shortage of landfill provision for hazardous wastes. In some senses, Corby is a 'one off' because it was a very large and extensively contaminated site very close to the town centre.23 That said, the judgment was not restricted to local authorities, as there was no breach of statutory duty in relation to CBC's status as a public authority. Developers who were managing similar reclamation projects in the 1980s and 1990s could therefore be found subject to the same duty of care. However, the real implications of the Corby litigation are that it demonstrates that negligence is now part of the common law tool kit for environmental claims, and how group litigation can be used to address claims. Practical lessons learned from Corby include selecting credible experts, assessing and insuring environmental risks, document management, keeping abreast of scientific knowledge and monitoring the impact of one's operations on human health and the environment.