UK activist Trudi Warner's court battle ends in victory after a year

Trudi Warner, a retired social worker and climate activist in England, won a significant legal battle against government lawyers who sought to prosecute her for contempt of court during a jurors' rights protest.

Sandra Laville reports for The Guardian.


In short:

  • Warner was accused of contempt for a silent protest advocating jury independence in climate trials in April 2023.
  • Her protest highlighted the historical right of juries to acquit based on conscience, echoing a famed case known as the Bushel case.
  • Her case was dismissed, marking a victory for her and her supporters.

Key quote:

"I just felt that this was an abuse of power, a miscarriage of justice."

— Trudi Warner, English climate activist.

Why this matters:

Trudi Warner's court battle is significant not just for the outcome itself but for its broader implications within the environmental activism community. As Warner faced legal challenges due to her climate activism, her experience underlines the risks that activists face in their endeavors.

Ans Irfan: On climate protests, the media misses the point

An old wooden mining cart on a rusty set of tracks with a green forest in the background

Will an old Pennsylvania coal town get a reboot from AI?

Homer City embraces the prospect of jobs but worries the profits and power from a new gas plant will flow to faraway tech companies.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaking at CPAC
Credit: Gage Skidmore/https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Trump cuts to energy projects in blue states were unlawful, judge rules

The Energy Department canceled $7.5 billion in Biden-era energy spending, largely in Democratic-led states, during last year’s government shutdown.
Yellow and white wind turbine towers waiting to be installed
Credit: Engineered Solutions/Unsplash

Judge reverses Trump order halting Revolution Wind

Suspending the lease for the Orsted project off Connecticut and Rhode Island was "unreasonable," the federal judge ruled Monday.
Coal fired electricity power plant along a river with a barge.
Photo Credit: Copyright: joshuaacarr/BigStock Photo ID: 82932053

Coal power generation falls in China and India for first time since 1970s

‘Historic’ moment in biggest coal-consuming countries could bring decline in global emissions, analysis says.

Yellow excavator loading rock truck in open pit coal mine
Photo Credit: Copyright: timofeev/BigStock Photo ID:

Coal communities accuse Congress of breaking its promise to clean up abandoned mine lands

The House passed a bill last week that would “repurpose” $500 million meant for cleaning up environmental and safety hazards caused by decades of coal mining.
Smokestacks from a factory spewing smoke and pollution into the air.
Credit: eric1513/Big Stock Photo

U.S. carbon emissions were falling. Why did they go up in 2025?

The rise comes even before the Trump administration’s pro-fossil fuel policies fully take hold, the authors of a Rhodium Group analysis found.
black electricity tower under a pink sky during sunset

Data centers, Greenlink, and your electricity bill

Nevada’s $4.2B Greenlink grid project, meant to cut carbon, is boosting power bills as costs soar and AI data-center demand spikes.

From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.