article thumbnail

30 Years of U.S. Climate Policy

Legal Planet

remains a party to the UNFCCC , helped broker the Paris Agreement, and is till a party to that agreement today. Perhaps most importantly, the federal government has invested billions of dollars in clean energy. 2015 Paris Agreement adopted with strong U.S. withdrawal from Paris Agreement.

article thumbnail

Climate Litigation and UN Climate Talks: An Important Symbiosis

Union of Concerned Scientists

As I prepare to attend the UN’s 28 th annual Conference of the Parties (COP28 ), I’ve been thinking a lot about the connection between the UN climate talks and litigation, especially in light of the stark reality that parties to the 2015 Paris Agreement are falling short on key milestones leading up to the next month’s meeting.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

The ‘Year of Climate’ in International Courts

Legal Planet

degrees Celsius (the stretch goal in the Paris Agreement of keeping the world’s average surface temperature to no more than 1.5 In addition to their claims of violations under Articles 2 and 8, they also complain of an Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) violation by the Swiss government ( in French ).

article thumbnail

Back in the game: Brazil’s reengagement in climate governance

Law Columbia

Perhaps less excitingly, but more consequentially, Brazil also has a long tradition of progressive environmental policies and climate governance, playing a key role in several international conferences. After all, to achieve the main goal of the Paris Agreement , namely keeping the rising global average temperature below 2°C (35.6°F)

article thumbnail

South Korea and Climate Change

Legal Planet

Even so, it compares favorably with the national governments in places like the U.S. Renewables are relatively small, at only 6%, but growing rapidly, having doubled from 2010 to 2019. In 2021, South Korea set a target under the Paris Agreement of a 40% cut from 2018 levels by 2030. and Australia.

article thumbnail

Understanding Unsuccessful Climate Litigation: The Spanish Greenpeace Case

Law Columbia

In this case, environmental and human rights organizations, including Greenpeace and Oxfam (“the plaintiffs”), had taken legal action against the Government of Spain, alleging inadequate action on climate change. However, the Supreme Court found that the Spanish Government had complied with the Paris Agreement and the EU legislation.

article thumbnail

Brazil Advances in Climate Change Litigation

Legal Planet

The new wave of litigation also arose from the urgency of combating the rise in deforestation under the right-wing-oriented President Jair Bolsonaro, who left the government in January 2023 for the return of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula). The decision was made in a lawsuit filed by four political parties (PSB et al.