The Wire

This week in the United States, the Attorney Generals of 8 States have sued 5 of the largest energy companies over thier greenhouse emissions, blaming lack of action by the federal government to combat global warming. The companies are under fire for contributing to ten percent of the US’s total yearly greenhouse gasses. However, the states don’t want money. The case, which is being put forward by a group which includes New Jersey and New York, asks that the companies reduce thier emissions by 3 percent each year for ten years. Ed Giles spoke to Zada Lipman, from the School of Environmental Law at Macquarie University; and Phil Freeman from the Climate Action Network of Australia, about whether such a case could be reproduced in Australia.