May 25, 2026: The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has again exposed the fragile global access to vaccines and treatments, as health systems struggle to contain a fast-moving epidemic caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain. With no licensed vaccine or treatment, response efforts have been limited to surveillance, isolation, and basic infection control.
May 19, 2026: The government of Ireland is now facing an investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) case, its first brought by a fossil fuel company, the United Kingdom-based Lansdowne Oil & Gas.
The dispute has been lodged under ISDS provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), despite the fact that UK and Ireland have both withdrawn from the treaty. The ECT sunset clause enables investors to continue to lodge disputes for 20 years after states have withdrawn.
May 15, 2026: A recent blog post published by Triodos Bank adds to the growing discussion about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and its role in obstructing climate action. Coming from within the financial sector, it reinforces concerns that civil society organisations have raised for years, that ISDS acts as a powerful legal tool for delaying or undermining urgently needed climate policy.
May 13, 2026: A recent White & Case blog post highlights how a shift in states increasingly treating AI regulation as a matter of security significantly increases the likelihood of disputes under Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms and advises technology companies how they might use ISDS against such regulation
57 governments and civil society groups met in Santa Marta to discuss practical steps for the just transition away from fossil fuels and identified investor rights to sue governments (ISDS) as a barrier to this process. Fossil fuel companies are suing governments over climate action.
May 6, 2026: The Chinese owner of the Landbridge company, which has a 99 year lease on the Port of Darwin, has lodged a claim for compensation in an international tribunal against the Australian government because of its policy to terminate the lease on the grounds of national security.
May 4, 2026: Australia and 56 other governments, representing around one third of global GDP, met last week in Santa Marta, Colombia, and agreed to map out practical ways to phase out fossil fuels at the first global diplomatic forum to assess practical steps to do so. This informal “coalition of the willing” was initiated at the 2025 UNFCCC COP 30 conference to implement the just transition away from fossil fuels needed to achieve net zero after governments from some fossil fuel producing countries blocked the inclusion of fossil fuel phaseout in the official COP 30 statement, which required agreement by all.
April 30, 2026 Civil society groups meeting before the first conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels produced a comprehensive statement to governments on the scientific evidence of the damaging impact of global warming, the need for urgent action and the principles and next steps for a just transition towards meeting the UNFCCC goals of net zero emissions by 2050 .
April 17, 2026: Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting is suing Canada over a rejected coal mine, in the third investor-state dispute under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) since it came into force in 2018.
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