The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Climate Litigation Report: 2020 Status Review, finds that climate cases have nearly doubled over the last three years and are increasingly pushing governments and corporations to implement climate commitments, while setting the bar higher for more ambitious climate change mitigation and adaptation. “Citizens are increasingly turning to courts to access justice and exercise their right to a healthy environment”, said Arnold Kreilhuber, Acting Director of UNEP’s Law Division. In 2017, 884 climate change cases were brought in 24 countries. By the end of 2020, that number had nearly doubled, with at least 1,550 cases filed in 38 countries – 39 including the European Union’s court system. While climate litigation continues to be concentrated in high-income countries, the report lists recent cases from Colombia, India, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, and South Africa in projecting the trend to grow further in the Global South.
By UN News. January 26, 2021.
