by Siju Falade, Corporate Accountability Lab

The climate crisis – or the rapid warming of the Earth caused primarily by fossil fuel burning’s release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – is upon us. Over 70% of GHG emissions can be attributed to 100 companies, primarily fossil fuel corporations. Scaling up climate civil litigation against such corporations can hold them accountable for their actions and mitigate harms. By leveraging the creative potential of the law, litigators may be able to secure remedies that create corporate and systemic change. The climate crisis calls for an all-hands-on-deck response, and litigators have a critical role to play. For those on the fence about getting involved, here are five reasons to bring your skillset to the climate fight.

1. Climate harms are impacting parts of the US, and your community could be next.  

In January 2025, the world witnessed wildfires devastate areas of California. The wildfires destroyed over 18,000 homes and buildings, burned 57,000 acres of land, and forced more than 200,000 people to evacuate. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding also wrecked Central Texas in July 2025, resulting in the loss of over 100 lives and millions of dollars in property damage. Climate change increased the likelihood of wildfires by one-third and significantly contributed to the flooding. These types of disasters are becoming more common as human (corporate) activities increase GHG emissions. Data shows that extreme weather events are expected to intensify. Without sufficient adaptation measures in place, this is likely to cause harm across the country, with few communities left unscathed.

Most GHG emissions are attributable to the private sector, potentially exposing corporations to liability for extreme weather events.

2. A flood of litigation can change corporate behaviour for the benefit of all.

As companies and governments fail to act, litigators can use the law to change corporate behaviour and institutional norms. A flood of climate litigation could indirectly impact fossil fuel emitters under a “death by a thousand cuts” hypothesis. Numerous legal actions could tie corporations up in continued litigation, which would adversely affect their profit margins and lead to normative pressure to alter harmful behaviour. Successful claims can lead to judicial orders that compel corporations to revise greenwashing claims, disclose climate risks and reduce emissions. Climate litigation may also prompt policy changes and compel legislative action, as well as help set legal precedents and develop the practice area. As an evolving area of law, we need the best and the brightest litigators to support innovation in this field.

3. Companies have lied about their climate contributions, and you can help hold them accountable.

The biggest corporate emitters also play a significant role in climate deception. Fossil fuel corporations knew about the climate damages associated with their products for decades. Evidence suggests they intentionally deceived the public through targeted marketing, the coordinated spread of disinformation and climate science suppression. Fossil fuel corporations' climate deception is reminiscent of Big Tobacco and Big Pharma’s deceit. In both the tobacco and oxycontin litigation contexts, claimants successfully used public nuisance, racketeering and fraud claims to detail companies’ coordinated illegal activities and extensive disinformation campaigns. These lawsuits led to billion-dollar-settlements, public health regulations and marketing restrictions. The settlements also forced the release of internal documents, proving companies knew about their products’ risks and lied anyway. Climate litigators may use similar legal strategies to seek transparency from defendants and expose deceptive practices amongst fossil fuel corporations.

4. Making companies pay can compensate those impacted by climate change and be profitable for your law firm.

Corporate climate litigation can result in significant damages for the impacted parties, making corporations bear the cost of the harms they caused. Claimants can seek steep damages to compensate vulnerable communities who have lost their livelihoods, homes, and health. Given that extreme weather events have had devastating economic impacts, these damages could also result in high contingency fees for litigators and serve as a deterrent for corporate misbehaviour. With sufficient evidentiary links backed by science, cases may also result in notable settlement agreements, which could include compensatory damages and injunctive reliefs.

5. Litigation can help shape the narrative about climate harms.

Documentation of corporate contributions to climate harm and its real impact on people offers factual anchors and establishes the human connection that science alone often misses. Major lawsuits can attract media attention and indirectly shift public opinion around climate responsibility by framing this crisis around human rights and intergenerational justice. By centring impacted communities and reclaiming the narrative, litigators can also build political pressure to hold corporate actors accountable and champion justice.

Litigators have a powerful role to play in the climate fight because the law is one of the strongest tools available for driving meaningful change. We hope you will join the climate fight and assist in securing a more sustainable future!

About Corporate Accountability Lab

Corporate Accountability Lab (CAL) is a legal non-profit organisation that unleashes the creative potential of the law to protect people and the planet from corporate abuse. CAL recently launched a Corporate Climate Liability program where we use creative processes to identify legal strategies that can be utilized against corporations for their role in climate harm.