Climate Court

Here’s the first weekly climate litigation roundup of 2025, and wow was I taken aback by the number and scope of new anti-climate lawsuits in the United States (ExxonMobil is making a claim about ‘reversed greenwashing’?). Finland also saw a setback with the dismissal of the country’s second climate lawsuit. However, more positive news comes from the Netherlands, Serbia, and Singapore! 🇫🇮 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝: The Supreme Administrative Court dismissed a climate lawsuit against the government, citing insufficient evidence of policy violations. 🇳🇱 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬: NGOs are suing the government over bottom trawling in the Dogger Bank, claiming it violates EU environmental laws. 🇷🇸 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐚: Environmental groups filed a complaint to prevent Rio Tinto’s lithium project from gaining strategic status. 🇸🇬 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞: Singapore banned VietJet's misleading green campaign. 🇺🇸 𝐔𝐒: ExxonMobil sued California AG over recycling claims, while Louisiana and Alaska filed lawsuits against the Biden administration’s drilling policies. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also challenged Vermont’s climate damages law. Receive these Climate Court round-ups directly to your email inbox: https://lnkd.in/dqR-4xD4 Organisations involved this week: Amnesty International Finland, ARK Rewilding Nederland, Blue Marine Foundation, ClientEarth, Climate Parents Association, Doggerland Foundation, Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto – The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, Finnish Sámi Youth Association, Finnish Nature Association, Greenpeace Nordic, Green Legal Impact Germany e. V, Marš sa Drine Artwork by db Waterman. Sources in the comments ⤵️ #ClimateLitigation #ClimateAction

Wrapping Up 2024 with Climate Court: Our First Year! As the first year of Climate Court, 2024 has been nothing short of incredible. Here are a few milestones we’re proud to share: 📈 850,000 impressions across our climate litigation updates posts, reaching nearly 200,000 LinkedIn members globally. 🗣️ Founder Loes van Dijk, spoke at events and lectures in New York, Kazakhstan, India, the Netherlands, Italy, and more—highlighting the power of climate litigation as well as climate justice. She also spoke as a recurring guest at Richard Delevan's Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations. 📬 Our newsletter has grown to over 1,000 subscribers in just 9 months, bringing regular insights into the evolving landscape of climate litigation. We're also looking forward to 2025's upcoming developments in climate litigation: 𝐈𝐂𝐉 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧: We’re anticipating the International Court of Justice's landmark advisory opinion on state responsibility for climate change. 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: One area we're following closely is cases on corporate criminal liability. We’re optimistic that 2025 will bring more developments in this area, with one case already filed in France and hopefully expanding to more jurisdictions. 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞-𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬: We’re already aware of cases in the preparation stage that could reshape and expand the field of climate litigation. 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐎𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Courts are increasingly interpreting climate responsibilities through the lens of human rights law. We expect new rulings to clarify and extend obligations for governments and corporations alike. 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐬: In the US, we are looking at multiple 'climate deception' lawsuits, targeting fossil fuel companies' continued use and promotion of harmful products despite knowing about their detrimental impact for decades. 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 2024 already saw an increase in complaints and reports over financial institutions' role in climate change ('financed emissions'). We expect lawsuits challenging banks and investors for funding fossil fuel projects. Here’s to 2025—a year we believe will set new precedents and get even more eyes on climate litigation. We remain particularly committed to covering cases from the Global South that may otherwise go unnoticed. #ClimateLitigation #ClimateCourt

Climate litigation is clearly not slowing down in anticipation of the holidays, as we again have several major cases and updates. Here’s everything that happened this week in climate litigation: 🇩🇪 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 - 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨: DUH secured two victories in greenwashing cases, against Eurowings which misled consumers about the delayed introduction of sustainable aviation fuels, and against drugstore chain dm for false environmental claims about its products. 🇬🇷 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐞 - 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘴: The European Commission has agreed to evaluate the legality of Greece’s repeated offshore oil and gas drilling approvals. 🇳🇴 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲 - 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘴y: A European court heard a case regarding the lack of environmental assessment for greenhouse gas emissions. 🇵🇪 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐮 - 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵: A Peruvian court ordered the government and companies involved in a REDD+ project to ensure free, prior, and informed consent. 🇵🇱 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 - 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨: A greenwashing case involving misleading eco-marketing of coal products was settled. 🇿🇦 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 - 𝘈𝘪𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: Eskom’s attempt to bypass air pollution laws was challenged. 🇪🇸 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 - 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴: The Constitutional Court of Spain has accepted a complaint arguing that the Spanish government’s failure to adequately address climate change violates fundamental rights. 🇬🇧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 - 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint against Lloyds Bank for misleading environmental claims. Also, MSC Cruises pulled advertisement after was accused of downplaying the climate impact of LNG. 🇺🇸 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 - 𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘜𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴: The Montana Supreme Court upheld a ruling in favour of youth plaintiffs seeking the constitutional right to a clean environment. In California, environmental groups have filed lawsuits over flawed amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and biofuel regulations. Additionally, a new class-action lawsuit targets major plastic producers. Receive these Climate Court round-ups directly to your email inbox: https://lnkd.in/dqR-4xD4 Organisations involved this week: Adfree Cities, Animal Legal Defense Fund, ClientEarth, Communities for a Better Environment, Conservation Law Foundation, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Defensores Del Valle Central Para El Aire Y Agua Limpio, EARTHLIFE AFRICA Johannesburg, Earthjustice, Ethnic Council of the Kichwa Peoples of the Amazon, Food & Water Watch, Fridays For Future International (Spain), Greenpeace Greece, Greenpeace Nordic, Greenpeace (Spain), groundWork, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, NATUR OG UNGDOM, Opportunity Green, Our Children's Trust, Oxfam Intermón, Western Environmental Law Center, WWF Greece Artwork by db Waterman. #ClimateLitigation #ClimateAction

This week has been all about the ICJ’s climate case, but climate litigation across the world hasn’t stood still! There was a win in South Africa’s Cancel Coal case, a greenwashing lawsuit in the fashion industry against Adidas, and a climate justice case in Bangladesh, amongst others. However, one of the more interesting challenges of the week for me is a complaint filed Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee on the high costs of environmental proceedings posing a barrier to justice. Here is everything that happened this week in climate litigation, as well as some key environmental cases: 🇧🇩 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐡: A petition challenges the 2023 energy plan, citing fossil fuel reliance and inconsistency with the renewable energy goals for 2050. 🇩🇪 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲: DUH sues Adidas for greenwashing, criticizing vague plans for ‘climate neutrality by 2050.’ DUH also challenges high legal costs for environmental lawsuits under the Aarhus Convention. 🇮🇳 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚: India’s Supreme Court criticized penalties based on revenue, stating they must align with the harm caused. 🇮🇹 𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲: The court overturned approval for the Teodorico gas project, citing violations of environmental protection laws. 🇿🇦 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚: The court ruled South Africa’s 1,500 MW coal procurement decision unlawful for not considering environmental impacts. 🇺🇸 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬: Carrboro, NC, sues Duke Energy for climate deception, seeking repayment for adaptation costs. Receive these Climate Court round-ups directly to your email inbox: https://lnkd.in/dqR-4xD4 Organisations involved this week: African Climate Alliance, Centre for Environmental Rights, ClientEarth, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Greenpeace Italy, groundWork, LEED-Lawyers For Energy, Environment and Development, Legambiente, LIPU-Birdlife Italy, the Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action, WWF Italy Artwork by db Waterman. See sources in the comments. ⤵ #ClimateLitigation #ClimateAction

The ICJ's oral hearings on the legal obligations of states to address climate change have just started! Here's what you need to know to catch up and keep up: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐂𝐉? The ICJ is the main judicial body of the United Nations. It settles legal disputes between states and issues advisory opinions on legal questions. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧? An advisory opinion is a non-binding legal interpretation provided by the ICJ at the request of UN organs or agencies. It can significantly influence international law and policy. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐂𝐉 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨? The UN General Assembly has asked the ICJ to clarify the legal obligations of states to protect the climate system and address climate change impacts. This includes considering the rights of future generations and the specific vulnerabilities of small island states. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? The ICJ's opinion could strengthen climate litigation efforts by providing clear legal precedents, empowering national courts, and expanding the scope of legal claims to include future generations. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫? The ICJ has received written submissions from 91 states, organizations, and groups. It has also consulted with climate scientists to understand the scientific basis of climate change. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭? Oral hearings are taking place from December 2 to 13, 2024. The ICJ will then deliberate and issue its advisory opinion in 2025. How can I stay informed? Climate Court will publish daily recaps at the end of every day that hearings take place! For a much more detailed overview, especially of the legal questions before the ICJ and the impact on climate litigation, read here: https://lnkd.in/eAJn3PQm #ClimateLitigation #ClimateAction

It was a bit of a quieter week in climate litigation, but the updates I have for you are still major. We have a new US state (Maine) filing a climate deception lawsuit against fossil fuel giants, as well as a Republican-led counter lawsuit against asset managers over their climate efforts. In Norway, a case against the government is in court as we speak. Here are this week’s climate litigation updates, and some key environmental ones: 🇩🇪 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 – 𝘎𝘢𝘴 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘢𝘸𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵: Legal proceedings against 15 gas suppliers for allegedly falsely marketing fossil fuels as ‘eco-gas’. 🇳🇴 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲 – 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱-𝘚𝘦𝘢 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦: Court proceeding underway in Norway over the state’s decision to approve deep-sea mining. 🇵🇼 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐮 – 𝘜.𝘚. 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵: A UN complaint has been filed against U.S. military activities in Palau, alleging human rights violations and environmental damage. 🇵🇱 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 – 𝘈𝘪𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘸𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵: Two asthma sufferers are suing the Polish government for not addressing air pollution. 🇺🇸 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 – 𝘍𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘭 𝘍𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: Maine is suing major fossil fuel companies. 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦: 11 Republican-led states are suing BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street, over abuse of power in climate efforts. Receive these Climate Court round-ups directly to your email inbox: https://lnkd.in/dqR-4xD4 Organisations involved this week: Blue Ocean Law, Center for Constitutional Rights, ClientEarth, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, WWF Norway Artwork by db Waterman. See sources in the comments. ⤵ #ClimateLitigation #ClimateAction

🚨Highlights in climate litigation this week include a new complaint against Blackrock, the first greenwashing battle brought by one company against another started in a Spanish court, and more cases focusing on oil projects, environmental rights, and corporate accountability. Here’s this week’s climate litigation wrap-up: 🇨🇦 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚 – 𝐁𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐮 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐎𝐢𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭: NGOs are challenging the approval of this project, citing biodiversity risks, Indigenous rights, and climate change. 🌍 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 – 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐎𝐢𝐥 𝐏𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: The East African Court of Justice upheld an appeal against Tanzania's dismissal of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline challenge. 🇩🇪 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 – 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐖𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚: Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) filed a lawsuit against the government for allowing destructive bottom trawling in a protected marina area, while Deutsche Umwelthilfe is challenging oil production in the Wadden Sea due to environmental risks. 🇮🇳 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 – 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐬: The National Green Tribunal addressed the ongoing loss of tree cover in India, ordering states to provide data on deforestation and conservation efforts. 🇳🇱 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 – 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐥 𝐀𝐢𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞: Environmental groups are challenging Schiphol Airport’s nature permit, arguing that the airport's nitrogen emissions exceed acceptable levels. 🇪🇸 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 – 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭: Iberdrola and Repsol were in court, arguing Repsol’s allegedly misleading sustainability claims that overshadow its fossil fuel operations. 🇺🇸 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 – 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤 & 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚: Friends of the Earth U.S. and Indigenous groups have filed an OECD complaint against BlackRock for its investments in companies linked to deforestation and human rights violations. In Virginia, a court ruled the state’s withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative unlawful Receive these Climate Court round-ups directly to your email inbox: https://lnkd.in/dqR-4xD4. Organisations involved this week: Africa Institute for Energy Governance, Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (APIB), Association of Energy Conservation Professionals, Bund Für Umwelt Und Naturschutz BUND, Centre for Food and Adequate Living Rights, Centre for Strategic Litigation (Tanzania), ClientEarth, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Ecojustice Canada, Greenpeace Nederland, Friends of the Earth U.S., Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Inc, Milieudefensie, Mobilisation for the Environment, Natural Justice, Oceana, Ocean Vision Legal, Seas At Risk, Sierra Club Canada Foundation, Southern Environmental Law Center Artwork by db Waterman. See sources in the comments. ⤵ #ClimateLitigation #ClimateAction

🚨 This week, climate litigation made headlines with the high-profile Milieudefensie v. Shell case. However, legal action is unfolding globally, with lawsuits tackling issues from nitrogen emissions to fossil fuel exploration. Progress is made across the globe and each one represents a step forward towards accountability for our climate. Here is this week’s wrap-up of climate litigation from across the world: 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 – 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐎𝐢𝐥 𝐏𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞: Organisations from several countries fight the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, which they claim violates environmental and human rights laws. 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 – 𝐋𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: Deutsche Umwelthilfe plans further legal action against the Neptune LNG terminal, citing unassessed environmental impacts. 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 – 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠: The Hague Court of Appeal ruled that Shell must reduce CO2 emissions but did not set a specific target. 𝐍𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭: Greenpeace Nederland is demanding urgent action to reduce nitrogen emissions and protect vulnerable ecosystems. 𝐏𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 – 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Pakistan’s Supreme Court addressed environmental degradation and pollution issues. 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 – 𝐎𝐢𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬: In two separate cases, one in Scotland and one in England, organisations are challenging the approval the Rosebank oil field and 31 gas exploration licenses. 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 – 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: The US Supreme Court declined to revive Juliana v. United States, a youth-led climate lawsuit. Receive these Climate Court round-ups directly to your email inbox: https://lnkd.in/dqR-4xD4. Organisations involved this week: Africa Institute for Energy Governance, Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights, Centre for Strategic Litigation, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Greenpeace Nederland, Greenpeace UK, Milieudefensie, Natural Justice, Oceana UK, Our Children's Trust, Uplift Artwork by db Waterman. See sources in the comments. ⤵ #ClimateLitigation #ClimateAction

Tomorrow, the Court of Appeal in the Hague will deliver its verdict on the case of Milieudefense v. Shell. It is a case with huge global importance for corporate climate responsibility. Given the case’s relevance beyond the legal industry, I’ve created an infographic to explain its impact and implications in non-legal terms – see below. For a more legal overview of my thoughts on the case, read here: https://lnkd.in/esDj_gci 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞: Milieudefensie argued that Shell has a legal obligation to reduce its GHG emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠: In May 2021, the District Court of the Hague ordered Shell to reduce its global carbon emissions by 45% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠: ▶ Corporate Climate Responsibility: The ruling established that corporations have a duty of care to mitigate climate change, even if they are not directly regulated by specific climate laws. ▶ Human Rights and Climate Change: The Court recognised the link between climate change and human rights. ▶ Global Impact: The case has inspired similar climate lawsuits around the world, which rely on Milieudefensie v. Shell as a precedent. 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥’𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥: Shell appealed the District Court’s decision, arguing that: ▶ Governments should set climate policies, not courts. ▶ Global targets apply to countries, not companies. ▶ Human rights laws don’t apply to private companies. ▶ Reducing Shell’s emissions won’t impact global emissions. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥’𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: The outcome of the appeal will have far-reaching implications for the future of climate litigation and corporate responsibility. These are the options: ▶ Uphold the Ruling: Strong precedent for corporate climate accountability. ▶ Reverse the Ruling: Weaken judicial action on corporate climate responsibility. ▶ Partial Ruling: Middle ground, balancing corporate responsibility with practical considerations. Also, I recommend this article by New Paradigm’s Marieke Faber, who discusses the role of the CSDDD in relation to corporate duty of care and how this potentially adds an extra dimension to the upcoming ruling: https://lnkd.in/eZmQ-vma I previously dove deeper into the legal arguments in the case in this review: https://lnkd.in/eFuiqhM7 #ClimateLitigation

A green win during the U.S. elections: Washington voters upheld the Climate Commitment Act in a significant win for climate action. The Act's cap-and-invest program remains intact, ensuring continued efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. #Elections #ClimateLaw #UnitedStates https://lnkd.in/eRfXTM_6