The Global Climate Litigation Report: 2023 Status Review was published by UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Key points
- The report shows that people are increasingly turning to the courts to combat the climate crisis.
- As of December 2022, there have been 2,180 climate-related cases filed in 65 jurisdictions, including international and regional courts, tribunals, quasi-judicial bodies, or other adjudicatory bodies, such as Special Procedures at the United Nations and arbitration tribunals.
- This represents a steady increase from 884 cases in 2017 and 1,550 cases in 2020.
- This report, which updates previous United Nations Environment Programme reports published in 2017 and 2020, provides an overview of the current state of climate change litigation and an update on global climate change litigation trends.
- This report further demonstrates the importance of an environmental rule of law in combating the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
- Access to justice enables the protection of environmental law and human rights and promotes accountability in public institutions.
- The report was launched in conjunction with the anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s recognition of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
