Overview of Climate Litigation

More and more climate cases are making their way to courtrooms in the United States and globally each year. But what is a climate case? Where are these climate cases being filed and what types of claims are raised?

This StoryMap introduces the concept of climate change litigation and uses data from the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law’s U.S. and Global Climate Change Litigation Databases to provide an overview of the scope and trends in climate litigation. The Sabin databases use specific criteria to identify and track litigation where climate science, policy, or law are central to the case.

As the body of climate litigation grows, judges must consider complex scientific and legal questions, many of which are developing rapidly. To address these issues, the Climate Judiciary Project of the Environmental Law Institute collaborates with leading national judicial education institutions to meet judges’ need for basic familiarity with climate science methods and concepts.

Our goal is to provide neutral, objective information to the judiciary about the science of climate change as it is understood by the expert scientific community and relevant to current and future litigation. 

Our shared vision is to make available to federal, state, and local judges the basic science they need to adjudicate the climate litigation over which they preside.

We are developing and disseminating a climate science and law curriculum and are conducting seminars and educational programs, in collaboration with leading climate scientists and legal experts.

Interested in learning more about climate science and litigation? Visit CJP's online resource library, which includes slide decks, reports, podcasts, and more!