Guyanese scientist Dr. Troy Thomas filed a case against the EPA of Guyana in the  Supreme Court, alleging that the 23-year permits EPA had issued to Esso Exploration (a subsidiary of Exxon) for oil exploration violated regulations under the Environmental Protection Act that limited such permit lengths to five years. EPA had issued permits to Esso that ran through 2040 and 2043. In an affidavit supporting the filing, Thomas argued that issuing such a long permit in violation of law "exposes Guyana and the rest of the world to serious, if not irreparable, harm and adverse consequences from climate change."

On October 7, 2020, the Supreme Court of Guyana issued a consent order accepting a settlement between Thomas, EPA, and Esso. EPA agreed to reduce the term to of the permits to five years, so that they would expire in 2022 and 2024. The Court also ordered EPA to pay Thomas' court costs.

Thomas v. EPA

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Thomas v. EPA - application

Filed

Guyanese scientist Dr. Troy Thomas filed a case against the EPA of Guyana in the  Supreme Court, alleging that the 23-year permits EPA had issued to Esso Exploration (a subsidiary of Exxon) for oil exploration violated regulations under the Environmental Protection Act that limited such permit lengths to five years. EPA had issued permits to Esso that ran through 2040 and 2043. In an affidavit supporting the filing, Thomas argued that issuing such a long permit in violation of law "exposes Guyana and the rest of the world to serious, if not irreparable, harm and adverse consequences from climate change."

On October 7, 2020, the Supreme Court of Guyana issued a consent order accepting a settlement between Thomas, EPA, and Esso. EPA agreed to reduce the term to of the permits to five years, so that they would expire in 2022 and 2024. The Court also ordered EPA to pay Thomas' court costs. 

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Justice is the ethical and political framework that addresses fairness, including issues of responsibility, rights, and structural inequity.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

A ban is a legal action that prevents the sale or supply of a product or service, or that recalls a product from the market. Examples are bans on SF6, greenwashing, fossil fuel advertisement or single-use plastics.

Agriculture mitigation refers to practices used to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions at every level of the agrifood systems, from production to consumption.

Actions to reduce emissions in energy generation and supply.

Risks to the ecosystem health of the marine environment, including ocean warming, ocean acidification, and ocean deoxygenation, harming biodiversity, species health, ecosystem services, and coastal community livelihoods.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

A drought is an extended period of unusually dry weather marked by a significant and sustained lack of precipitation, falling below a specific threshold over a large area for more than a month

Terrestrial means "of the earth" and relates to the risks to ecological system that includes all living organisms and their interactions within land-based environments, such as forests, grasslands, and deserts.

Oil is a combustible liquid fossil fuel composed mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring as crude oil and refined into petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

Fossil gas, commonly known as natural gas, is a fossil fuel consisting chiefly of methane with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and trace gases, found in underground deposits.

The activities of industries that transforms raw materials into finished goods through industrial processes.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

Activities that involve the cultivation of crops and raising of livestock for food, fibre, and other products essential for human life and industry.

Slow onset events evolve gradually from incremental changes over many years or from increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. As defined in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), slow onset events include risks and impacts from rising temperatures, desertification, biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and salinization.

Thomas v. EPA - application

Policy instrument

Risk

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector