environmental pollution liability News

Rio Tinto Faces Pressure From Investors Over Water Contamination Claims

Global mining giant Rio Tinto, which sparked outrage after destroying an ancient Indigenous site in Australia in 2020, faces new pressure from socially conscious investors and lenders, this time on water practices at two of its mines. A group representing …

Top European Leaders Test Positive for Cancerous ‘Forever Chemicals’

Chemicals linked to severe health issues including cancer, infertility, birth defects and immune system disruptions are everywhere and no one is safe from them — not even top politicians, according to a campaign advocating for a European Union-wide ban. Former …

Brazil Orders Vale, BHP and Samarco to Pay $9.7B in Damages for 2015 Dam Disaster

A Brazilian federal judge ruled that miners Vale and BHP and their joint venture Samarco must pay 47.6 billion reais ($9.67 billion) in damages for a 2015 tailings dam burst, according to a legal decision on Thursday seen by Reuters. …

Looming Waste-Landslide Disaster Prompts Review of Environmental Laws in Denmark

A landslide of contaminated soil that threatens to pollute a water stream in Denmark has prompted the nation’s government to consider tightening environmental and corporate laws. Danish authorities have enlisted 100 workers and 80 trucks to avoid “a potential environmental …

Repsol Sued in Class Action for $1 Billion Over Peru’s Worst Oil Spill

Repsol SA is being sued for $1 billion by an English law firm representing around 35,000 alleged victims for its involvement in Peru’s largest oil spill in 2022. Tom Goodhead, chief executive officer of Pogust Goodhead, said the lawsuit was …

Plastic Pellet Spill Unleashes Cleanup Nightmare on Spain’s Coast

Tiny white plastic pellets are washing ashore in Spain’s northwestern coast by the millions, with hundreds of volunteers leading the clean up as authorities struggle to coordinate and companies decline any responsibility. A tanker ship lost six containers off the …

Shell to Face UK Trial Over Devastating Nigerian Oil Spills

A UK court ruled that a group of Nigerian fishermen can bring claims against Shell Plc over oil pollution that devastated their communities, as a long-running legal case edges closer to a trial. The 13,000 fishermen from the Ogale and …

Chemours Faces Dutch Criminal Probe on Emitting Forever Chemicals

Chemours Co. and its legal predecessor E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co will face a Dutch criminal investigation for the potential harmful effects of emitting forever chemicals in the Netherlands. Prosecutors said it decided to start an investigation after …

A Hidden Climate Danger Threatens Coastal Communities With Toxic Chemicals

A little-known climate threat lurks under our feet: rising groundwater that could release toxic chemicals from more than 132,000 contaminated sites in coastal areas of the US. In a first of its kind study, researchers estimated the number of polluted …

Severn Trent Faces First UK Class Action Suit Over Sewage Pollution

Severn Trent Plc faces an environment class action lawsuit in London over allegations it abused its dominant position in the utilities market and underreported instances where it pumped sewage into open water. Law firm Leigh Day filed England’s first ever …