A case brought by the state of Rhode Island in the USA against 17 fossil fuel companies for their role in contributing climate impacts in Rhode Island. They are arguing that the defendants’ contributions to climate change have caused damage to Rhode Island residents, infrastructure and property through sea level rises and changes in weather […]
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Climate change,
A local community group successfully challenged the licensing of a coal-fired power plant on the basis it was granted without a proper environmental impact assessment was conducted. This was in part due to a failure to consider the climate impact of the project.
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Climate change,
Environmental organisations in Norway are challenging a licensing decision to permit oil exploration in the Barents Sea. They are challenging the decision on the basis that it violates the right to a healthy environment in Norway’s Constitution. They argue that the licensing decision could lead to the discovery, export and combustion of a large amount of […]
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Climate change,
An organisation against fracking challenged a UK government policy that promoted fracking on grounds that the policy was made without consideration being given to the climate impact of the policy. The court agreed and ruled that the policy was unlawful on this basis.
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Climate change,
The Mexican Supreme Court has invalidated a regulation in relation to the amount of ethanol allowed in gasoline because this of its potential environmental and climate change implications, and because of the failure to provide for the necessary public participation in the decision-making process.
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Climate change,
The case was brought after Hurricane Katrina caused serious flooding in New Orleans in 2005. The claim was brought on the basis that the Defendant failed in its duty to protect residents against flooding, because it had not ensured that the flood defences were high enough and strong enough. The claim initially succeeded. Although the […]
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Climate change,
A group of property owners around the Muskoka Lakes in Canada brought a claim against the government ministry that was responsible for managing the water levels of the lakes. Since 2010, due to climate change, the property owners’ lands began to be severely affected by flooding of the lakes. They argued that the Ministry had […]
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Climate change,
A group of indigenous people from the low-lying islands off the coast of Australia are bringing a complaint against the Australian government. Their islands are under threat by rising sea levels caused by climate change. Part of their argument is that the Australian government’s failure to take adaptation measures, such as building flood defences and […]
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Climate change,
In this case, the claimants were group of young people in Colombia who claimed that their rights were infringed by the Colombian government’s failure to do more about reducing climate change by reducing deforestation. The Colombian Supreme Court ordered government departments and ministries to prepare a plan within a specific timeframe to counteract the rate […]
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Climate change,
This is a very useful scientific analysis that tracks government climate action and measures it against the objectives of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5°C and 2°C. It provides information on a country-by-country basis on: The level of GHG emissions of different countries; The climate action governments have already taken (i.e. their current levels of […]
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal references,
Legal Topic: Climate change,
