Lawsuits are key tool in delivering climate justice, says UN body

Climate activists rally outside the supreme court in Washington in July 2022. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Lawsuits challenging government and corporate inaction on the climate breakdown have become an important driver of change, according to a UN body.

A report by the UN Environment Programme (Unep) and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University says litigation is setting precedents for climate action all over the world, even beyond the jurisdictions in which cases are filed. But it warns of a growing legal backlash as cases are filed that could delay climate action and criminalise activists.