Maria Antonia Tigre

52 posts
Dr. Maria Antonia Tigre is the Director of Global Climate Litigation at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School.

A Landmark Climate Ruling from Europe: The EFTA Court Declares Scope 3 Emissions Must Be Assessed Before Oil Project Approvals

In a powerful and precedent-setting advisory opinion, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Court has declared that European Union law—applicable pursuant to the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement—prohibits the approval of fossil fuel projects without first assessing the global climate impacts of their emissions, including those generated when oil and […]

Africa’s Advisory Opinion Request: Taking Climate Justice to the Continent’s Highest Court

Maria Antonia Tigre and Susan Ann Samuel On May 2, 2025, a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), headed by the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), and in collaboration with the African Climate Platform, Resilient40, Natural Justice, and Environmental Lawyer Collective for Africa, submitted a petition to the African Court on […]

The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: Key Takeaways from the 2024 Hearing (Part 3)

This blog post is Part 3 of a three-part series highlighting the main legal arguments presented during the hearings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the request for an advisory opinion regarding the obligations of States with respect to climate change. Part 1 focused on discussions on applicable […]

The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: Key Takeaways from the 2024 Hearing (Part 2)

This blog post is Part 2 of a three-part series highlighting the main legal arguments presented during the hearings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the advisory opinion request related to States’ obligations regarding climate change. Part 1 focused on discussions regarding applicable law, and the no-harm rule. […]

The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: Key Takeaways from the 2024 Hearings (Part 1)

On March 29, 2023, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on States’ obligations regarding climate change. This request was widely seen as an opportunity for the Court to clarify States’ legal obligations, advance climate justice, and […]

Sabin Center Report Highlights Key Climate Cases and Litigation Themes in 2024

Today, the Sabin Center published a report that looks back on climate litigation developments since the beginning of 2024. This second installment in our year-end series revisits significant cases and rulings from around the world and connects them to overarching themes. The report draws from the Sabin Center’s United States […]

Milieudefensie v Shell: 3 Takeaways and Challenges on the Appeal’s Court Decision

Introduction On November 12, 2024, the Dutch Court of Appeal in The Hague issued its eagerly awaited appeals judgment in Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) and others v. Royal Dutch Shell. The applicants sought an injunction declaring that Shell is legally bound to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions […]

New Sabin Center Report Maps Climate Cases in the Global South

In recent years, climate litigation has witnessed a surge in cases across the world. While scholarly interest has predominantly focused on cases from the Global North, attention to litigation originating in the Global South has been lacking, yet crucial in understanding the broader climate litigation landscape. Today, the Sabin Center […]