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Global trends in climate litigation

Hosted by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment

In-person and online public event (Sheikh Zayed Theatre, Cheng Kin Ku Building)

Speakers

Catherine Higham

Catherine Higham

Report author

Dr Joana Setzer

Dr Joana Setzer

Report author

Professor Harro van Asselt

Professor Harro van Asselt

Panelist

Cynthia Hanawalt

Cynthia Hanawalt

Panelist

Zaneta Sedilikova

Zaneta Sedilikova

Panelists

Chair

Professor Carmen Nuzzo

Professor Carmen Nuzzo

This event marks the launch of the Grantham Research Institute’s (GRI) 2024 Global Trends in Climate Change Litigation Policy Report.

While the rate of new climate litigation cases may be starting to stabilize at over 200 annually, litigants continue innovating with novel types of cases and legal strategies. These efforts are bolstered by transnational exchanges between countries. Activist groups and civil society organizations continue to play a pivotal role in leveraging climate litigation to shape climate governance. Central to many of these cases is the use of human rights arguments to hold governments and corporations accountable for inadequate action on climate issues. Notably, 2023 witnessed significant advancements in litigation related to forests and biodiversity, including cases against the appropriation of forest land for carbon offsetting and challenges to the biodiversity impacts of new 'clean' energy initiatives. However, not all climate litigation aims to promote climate action. The past year also saw considerable opposition to new climate policies and legislation by various stakeholders. This trend threatens to deepen the divide in expectations of investors in the United States and other regions, particularly Europe.

The report's authors will share their insights, followed by a panel discussion with experts on the latest trends in climate change litigation.

Meet our speakers and chair

Catherine Higham (@CatherineHigha3) is Policy Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and coordinates the Climate Change Laws of the World Project. She is a co-author of the report.

Joana Setzer (@JoanaSetzer) is Associate Professorial Research Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and leads the Climate Change Laws of the World project. She is a co-author of the report.

Harro van Asselt (@harrovanasselt) is Hatton Professor of Climate Law at the University of Cambridge and Law Fellow at Hughes Hall. He is also Professor of Climate Law and Policy at the University of Eastern Finland Law School, and an affiliated researcher with the Stockholm Environment Institute.

Cynthia Hanawalt is the Director of the Sabin Center’s financial regulation practice. Her work supports regulatory and policy responses to climate-related financial risk at the federal and state level and includes a focus on the complex intersections of ESG and antitrust law with sustainability goals and climate resiliency measures.

Zaneta Sedilikova is Director of climate and biodiversity risk consultancy firm Planet Law Lab and a Biodiversity Risk Advisor at the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative, where she carries out research and provides strategic advice on how biodiversity loss can pose a material risk to financial institutions and corporations.

Carmen Nuzzo is Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Executive Director of the Transition Pathway Initiative Centre (TPI Centre).

More about this event

This event will be available to watch on LSE Live. LSE Live is the new home for our live streams, allowing you to tune in and join the global debate at LSE, wherever you are in the world. If you can't attend live, a video will be made available shortly afterwards on LSE's YouTube channel.

The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (@gri_lse) is a world-leading centre for policy-relevant research and training on climate change and the environment.

Hashtag for this event: #LSEGRI

Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.

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