🌅 Putting Climate Change on Trial

SOURCE

U.N. Environment Program

WHAT TO KNOW

• As of June 2025, a total of 3,099 climate-change related lawsuits have been filed in courts and tribunals around the world, continuing an upward trend observed over the past decade. Researchers at the U.N. Environment Program and Columbia Law School found cases have been filed in 79 national and international courts, with the bulk of the litigation (1,936 cases) taking place in the U.S.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Climate litigation has gained popularity since 2017, when 884 such cases had been filed. By 2020, that figure had risen to 1,550 cases; by 2022, it reached 2,180. The cases target a variety of climate issues, including greenwashing, carbon offsets, energy-intensive data centers, and regulatory challenges, among others. The authors say both the rising number of legal cases and the broad range of issues they address underscore the power of litigation in advancing climate action.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• In July 2025, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion finding countries have a legal obligation to protect the global climate system from the effects of human-made greenhouse gas emissions. The U.N.’s top court found the obligation stems from both international climate treaties, like the Paris Agreement, as well as broader rules of international law. Countries that fail to address emissions could be required to compensate other nations dealing with the effects of climate change, like rising sea levels, drought, and extreme weather events. Last month, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution backing the opinion. The U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, Yemen, Liberia, and Belarus voted against the resolution, while several oil-producing states, like Qatar and Nigeria, abstained.