<p>On August 1, the Australian government announced that it was dropping actions against hundreds of farmers for breaching the 2003 Native Vegetation Act that has since been repealed. According to energy and environment minister Matt Kean and agriculture minister Adam Marshall, the actions were dropped to "deliver fairness" to farmers by ensuring that those engaged in activity that is now legal are not punished under historic laws.

<p>Indonesia's environment ministry has deployed a team to investigate the cause of a leaking oil well in the Java Sea. The well has pumped an estimated 3,000 barrels of oil per day into the sea and the northern Java coast since the spill began. According to the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the country's biggest green nongovernmental organization, up to 80% of neighboring fishing communities have incurred some degree of economic loss as a result of the spill.

<p>On July 31, German prosecutors announced they had filed charges against former Audi Chief Executive Rupert Stadler, who is being investigated over his role in Volkswagen's emissions test cheating scandal. According to the public prosecutor's office in Munich, Stadler and three other defendants are being charged with fraud, false certification, and criminal advertising practices.