Climate Change Litigation Chart

29 posts

Sabin Center Publishes Report on Climate Litigation in 2023

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 […]

Litigating Enforcement: Germany’s Contested Climate Governance and the New Wave of Climate Litigation

Climate litigation in Germany has achieved another major victory. On November 30, 2023, the Higher Administrative Court Berlin-Brandenburg ruled in DUH and BUND v. Germany that the federal government must adopt an immediate action program (‘Sofortprogramm’) under the Federal Climate Change Act (CCA). The program is intended to ensure compliance […]

Climate Litigation and Children’s Rights: Unpacking the CRC’s New General Comment

On August 28, 2023, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) published General Comment No. 26 (GC26) on children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change. A general comment, despite non-binding, provides an authoritative interpretation of human rights treaty provisions – in […]

The Status of Global Climate Litigation: Tracking the Evolution of Legal Action

As the frequency and number of climate change cases continue to rise, a robust body of legal precedent is forming, shaping a well-defined field of climate law. Today, the United Nations Environment Programme (“UNEP”), with support from the Sabin Center, has published a survey of global climate change litigation that […]

The 2022 Qatar World Cup Was Greenwashed: The Swiss Fairness Commission Finds In Favor of Six NGOs Alleging Misleading and Unfair Advertisement by FIFA

On June 7, 2023, the Swiss Fairness Commission (Commission Suisse pour la Loyauté), a non-judicial body competent to receive complaints alleging violations of fairness in commercial communication, found that the International Association Football Federation (FIFA) engaged in misleading and unfair advertising of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The Commission made […]

Climate Change and the Law: Sabin Center launches report on legal issues to be analyzed by International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is inviting all U.N. Member States to submit their views on the legal issues relevant to climate duties and obligations. To help States make these submissions, Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law has just released its Status Report on Principles of […]

Navigating the Intersection of Climate Change and the Law of the Sea: Exploring the ITLOS Advisory Opinion’s Substantive Content

The advisory opinion request to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on State Parties’ obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, Convention) to prevent, reduce, and control pollution of the marine environment from climate change, and to protect and preserve […]

The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: What Happens Now?

  Climate change litigation has finally reached the world’s highest court. 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 the obligations of States with respect to climate change. The UNGA adopted resolution (A/77/L.58) […]