"2019: The Year Climate Litigation Hit High Gear" 30 Dec 2019 

One of the busiest years yet for climate litigation, 2019 was highlighted by favorable decisions handed down by some of the world’s highest courts.

The U.S. Supreme Court kicked off 2019 by clearing the way in January for Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey to continue her investigation of Exxon, and she eventually filed a climate fraud lawsuit against the oil giant in October. The Dutch Supreme Court wrapped up the year in December by upholding the landmark ruling in Urgenda v. The Netherlands that said the government has a human rights duty to protect its citizens from climate change and must reduce the country’s emissions...

There were also big jurisdictional wins for communities suing fossil fuel companies for climate damages, new research attributing specific climate damages to individual companies and a flurry of international climate and human rights-related litigation....

More than one-third of all global carbon emissions since 1965 can be attributed to the 20 largest fossil fuel companies, according to research by Richard Heede, director of the Climate Accountability Institute...

Internationally, there was no shortage of climate change and human rights-related litigation and legal declarations in 2019. The Netherlands’ Supreme Court decision upholding the landmark ruling in Urgenda v. the Netherlands was the most widely celebrated.

“Climate change is already severely damaging human rights – and that impact is growing fast,” United Nations high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.

“The recognition by the highest Dutch court that the Netherlands’ human rights obligations provide a legal basis to compel stronger and more rapid action by the Government is vitally important,” Bachelet said.