As sweeping policy shifts, green priorities, and rapid tech advances reshape the industry, natural resources businesses face a complex regulatory landscape but one brimming with opportunity.
Data from Lexology Compete shows some of the key work areas and trending topics for clients in the natural resources industry.
A global overview
Across major jurisdictions like the UK, EU, and US, policies are diverging in ways that demand region-specific strategies. The UK and EU are advancing sustainability-focused reforms, tightening environmental standards, and accelerating permitting processes for major projects. In contrast, the US is rolling back many climate regulations under the Trump Administration, signalling a return to more traditional energy priorities and deregulation.
These shifts mean that natural resources companies must stay agile. In the UK and EU, companies face rising expectations around environmental accountability. New regulations require companies to provide decarbonisation readiness plans, track methane emissions, and contribute to large-scale restoration efforts. At the same time, regulatory bodies are working to streamline approvals, potentially speeding up infrastructure and energy developments.
In the US, looser regulations could boost domestic fossil fuel production, but also introduce longer-term uncertainty around investment in clean energy and sustainability initiatives.
Latin American countries have recalibrated their approach to resource extraction, with Chile reforming lithium regulations and Brazil implementing new environmental compliance protocols for Amazon mining operations. Across Asia-Pacific, China has expanded its emissions trading system, India has introduced comprehensive renewable energy transition targets, and Indonesia has tightened regulations on exports which has several important implications for the natural resources industry.
Challenges and opportunities
The current global regulatory landscape reflects growing alignment around sustainable resource management, critical minerals security, indigenous rights recognition, and the integration of climate policy into resource development frameworks, though with varied approaches reflecting regional priorities and resource profiles.
The challenges are significant. Companies must manage growing compliance costs, navigate shifting tax and subsidy regimes, and respond to investor pressure for ESG performance—all while integrating advanced technologies like AI and adapting to evolving cybersecurity expectations. Policy instability, especially in the US, adds another layer of risk for long-term planning and investment.
Yet these challenges also present opportunities. Businesses that lead on sustainability, embrace digital transformation, and position themselves for the energy transition are likely to gain a competitive advantage. In the UK and EU, clearer regulatory pathways and government support for decarbonisation can accelerate project timelines. Globally, the adoption of AI and data-driven tools is enabling smarter, safer, and more efficient operations. And in the US, deregulation may open the door for strategic mergers, acquisitions, and traditional energy growth.
Overall, success in this evolving landscape will depend on how well businesses can align with local regulatory expectations, invest in innovation, and balance short-term flexibility with long-term transition goals.
In the press
On 8 May 2025, a landmark trial opened at the High Court in London against Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited (RAEC), the company that recently acquired Shell’s onshore Nigerian operations. The case was brought by the Bodo community of the Niger Delta, who allege that the clean-up of two massive oil spills from 2008 has been grossly inadequate, leaving their environment devastated and their health at risk.
The Bodo community contends that, despite Shell admitting liability in 2014 and agreeing to a £55 million settlement, the promised environmental remediation remains incomplete. Independent experts commissioned by the community claim that only 7% of the oil has been removed, and pollution continues to pose serious health threats to over 30,000 residents.
This trial comes shortly after Shell divested its Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC), in March 2025, transferring operations to RAEC. The Bodo community fears this divestment may allow Shell to evade responsibility for completing the clean-up.
While Shell claims the clean-up, described as the largest in the world, is nearly complete, this case may determine whether companies can be held accountable for environmental damage even after transferring operations to new owners.
Also in May, Dutch environmental group Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) announced its intention to initiate a new legal action against Shell. This forthcoming lawsuit aims to compel Shell to halt the development of new oil and gas projects, citing the company's ongoing investments in approximately 700 such projects as incompatible with global climate goals.
This announcement follows a November 2024 ruling by the Hague Court of Appeal, which overturned a 2021 decision mandating Shell to reduce its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. While the court acknowledged Shell's duty to mitigate climate change, it deemed imposing a specific emissions reduction target unrealistic. Milieudefensie is also pursuing an appeal to the Dutch Supreme Court regarding this overturned ruling.
This anticipated legal action underscores the ongoing efforts by environmental groups to hold corporations accountable for their contributions to climate change. Shell maintains that addressing climate change requires collaborative efforts among governments, businesses, and consumers.
For a complete overview of the issues impacting Shell, including transactions and cases visit Lexology Compete.
The UK trial against BHP over the 2015 Fundão dam disaster has ended, and the company now awaits a judgment which is expected in the coming months.
More than 620,000 claimants, including individuals, businesses, and municipalities affected by the dam’s collapse, are seeking up to £36 billion in damages, alleging BHP is liable under Brazilian environmental law for its role in the operations of Samarco — the joint venture with Vale that operated the dam.
This is one of the largest group actions in UK legal history, and the outcome could significantly influence how multinational corporations are held accountable for environmental disasters across jurisdictions. Back in October 2024, BHP and Vale agreed to a US$23 billion settlement with Brazilian authorities over the disaster, to be paid over 20 years.
Slaughter and May acted as part of the counsel to BHP in the trial.
In March, the US Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge from 19 republican attorney generals who sought to block climate lawsuits filed by five Democrat-led states. In a lawsuit filed in May 2024, the republican attorney generals aimed to dismiss ongoing cases against major oil companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Shell, and BP.
The Democrat-led states, including California, argue these lawsuits are necessary to protect consumers from misleading claims about fossil fuels and climate change.
With this decision, the Supreme Court has effectively allowed state-level climate lawsuits to proceed, affirming states' rights to seek accountability through their own legal systems. The ruling strengthens the legal foundation for future environmental litigation and increases pressure on the fossil fuel industry.
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Readership trends
Data from Compete, shows that clients in the natural resources sector are increasingly focused on critical topics shaping the industry’s future. Supply chain resilience remains a top concern amid global disruptions and regulatory shifts, impacting the movement of raw materials and equipment.
FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) developments are closely watched for their influence on energy infrastructure and interstate transmission policies. Efforts toward carbon neutrality are driving strategic decisions, with companies investing in decarbonization and emissions tracking.
Tariffs continue to affect the cost competitiveness of exported and imported resources, especially in the mining and metals industries. Meanwhile, the rise of renewable energy is transforming investment patterns and prompting a reevaluation of traditional resource portfolios, making it a key area of innovation and policy interest.
The top contributors based on the stats are DLA Piper, leading with 591 articles (2.13%), followed by DiliTrust (461), CMS (426), Hogan Lovells (419), and Herbert Smith Freehills LLP (418).
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