Vanessa Johnston

About

Vanessa Johnston is an accomplished scholar in environmental and climate law, specialising in the intersection of climate change, real property, and transport regulation. With a PhD in Law, along with Bachelor’s and Master’s qualifications, she practiced law in both Victorian and federal jurisdictions for almost 10 years in areas property, commercial, and tax law. She joined RMIT University in 2020, bringing her expertise in climate law, environmental governance, and urban planning into legal scholarship and teaching. Her research critically examines how law and policy shape climate resilience, particularly in transport systems, land use, and corporate accountability for climate impacts. Her recent work explores liability frameworks in climate litigation, regulatory approaches to sustainab