Climate litigation is becoming an integral part of securing climate action and justice globally. According to a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme, climate court cases have more than doubled in five years, from 884 in 2017 to 2,180 in 2022. And it is growing worldwide.

The report highlights a series of landmark rulings, including a Dutch court ordering oil giant Shell to slash its emissions. It was the first time a court found a private company to have a duty under the Paris agreement. While most cases have been brought in the US, climate litigation is taking root all over the world, with about 17 per cent of cases now being reported in developing countries. 

According to the report, most ongoing climate litigation falls into one or more of six categories: 

1. Cases relying on human rights enshrined in international law and national constitutions;
2. Challenges to domestic non-enforcement of climate-related laws and policies; 
3. Litigants seeking to keep fossil fuels in the ground; 
4. Advocates for greater climate disclosures and an end to greenwashing; 
5. Claims addressing corporate liability and responsibility for climate harms; 
6. Claims addressing failures to adapt to the impacts of climate change. 

“Climate policies are far behind what is needed to keep global temperatures below the 1.5°C threshold, with extreme weather events and searing heat already baking our planet,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “People are increasingly turning to courts to combat the climate crisis, holding governments and the private sector accountable and making litigation a key mechanism for securing climate action and promoting climate justice.”  

—

Source: UN Environment Programme | Positive News