Climate Change Litigation

Public nuisance lawsuits are the most common type of climate change litigation because they allow plaintiffs to sue for damages caused by climate change without having to prove that the defendant was negligent or intentional.

In Urgenda Foundation v. State of the Netherlands, the Dutch Supreme Court ordered the Dutch government to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020. This was the first time that a court had ordered a government to take specific action to address climate change.

Plaintiffs in climate change litigation typically argue that climate change is a threat to human health and safety because it can cause extreme weather events, sea level rise, and other harmful effects.

Climate change litigation faces a number of challenges, including the lack of scientific consensus on climate change, the difficulty of proving causation in climate change cases, and the political opposition to climate change litigation.

Climate change litigation is likely to become more common in the future as the impacts of climate change become more severe. As climate change causes more extreme weather events, sea level rise, and other harmful effects, more people will be harmed and more will seek legal recourse.