Today, the Sabin Center published an end-of-year report on the state of climate change litigation in 2023. The report, titled Climate Change in the Courts: A 2023 Thematic Retrospective, examines key cases and rulings that have shaped the legal discourse on climate change in 2023 or that are poised to have an impact in the coming months and years. Drawing from the Sabin Center’s United States (U.S.) and Global Climate Litigation databases, the report provides examples that offer insights into emerging themes, evolving legal strategies, and the pulse of climate litigation.
The report begins with a brief analysis of the growth of climate litigation in 2023, both in terms of the number of cases and the jurisdictions included in the databases. the report then highlights seven key “themes” the Sabin Center observed in climate litigation in 2023, namely:
- constitutional and human rights cases
- greenwashing and climate washing cases
- carbon capture, removal, and sequestration
- environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) backlash cases
- non-compliance with climate commitments
- inadmissibility challenges and successful defenses
- climate change in international and regional courts
Read the report here.
Dr. Maria Antonia Tigre is the Global Climate Litigation Fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School.
Margaret Barry
Margaret Barry manages the U.S. climate litigation database.
