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Navigating Net Zero Via the Law  

Union of Concerned Scientists

Our study, which examined net-zero legislation and litigation in Brazil, China, Germany, and the United States, will become even more pertinent as nations grapple with implementing their commitments under the Paris Agreement from 2015 and the more recent consensus reached in Dubai.

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Future Trends in Climate Litigation Against Governments

Law Columbia

National governments are the most important systemic actors in the governance of climate action, primarily because they are the only actors with the ability to adopt economy-wide decarbonization measures. Over 80 government framework cases have been filed around the world, using a wide variety of legal and factual arguments.

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Rising Seas, Rising Stakes: The Case for an International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion 

Union of Concerned Scientists

Heat-trapping emissions are continuing to rise while the gap between what is needed to keep Paris Agreement goals in reach and adapt to ongoing climate impacts is ever-widening. The Vanuatu-led effort, which was initiated several years ago by law students at the University of the South Pacific, is now coming to fruition.

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Can International Law Save the Planet from Climate Change?

Union of Concerned Scientists

When diplomacy needs backup, countries turn to resolve their disputes at the ICJ, the United Nations’ principal judicial organ, to set the tone for international law. As an advisory body, the court provides legal opinions on international law questions. What is an advisory opinion?

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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.

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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.

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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.