Articles by Gloria Dickie, Kate Abnett and Alison Withers

Climate Verdict for Swiss Women a Warning for European States, Oil Industry

Governments and companies that are lax on climate action should be worried since this week’s European human rights court ruling against the Swiss government improves the odds that other such cases could win at the top court, legal experts said. …

Takeaways From the Swiss Women’s Climate Victory

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of more than 2,000 Swiss women on Tuesday, affirming their argument that the Swiss government violated their human rights by failing to take sufficient action on climate change. Here are some …

Update: Swiss Women Win Landmark Climate Victory at Human Rights Court

Europe’s top human rights court ruled on Tuesday that the Swiss government had violated the human rights of its citizens by failing to do enough to combat climate change, in a decision that will set a precedent for future climate …

How Three European Human Rights Cases Could Shape Climate Litigation

Does government inaction on climate change violate human rights? That is the question the European Court of Human Rights will for the first time seek to answer in Strasbourg, France, as it rules this week on three separate climate cases. …

Chemicals in Plastics Far More Numerous Than Previous Estimates, Report Says

At least 3,000 more chemicals are in plastics — from food packaging to toys to medical devices — than previously estimated by environment agencies, a report published on Thursday found, raising questions over pollution and consumer safety. While the United …

Nations Strike Deal at COP28 to Transition Away From Fossil Fuels

Representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed at the COP28 climate summit on Wednesday to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels to avert the worst of climate change, a first of its kind deal signaling the eventual end of the …

World to Hit 2.5F of Warming During 2023 as Hottest Year on Record

With a month to run, 2023 will reach global warming of about 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, adding to “a deafening cacophony” of broken climate records, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday. The WMO’s provisional …

Climate Activists, Companies Lawyer Up for Courtroom Battles

As global temperatures and emissions climb, people are increasingly turning to courtrooms to challenge fossil fuel companies’ activities, leading to wins on issues like “climate-washing” but also backlash as companies file countersuits. In the last five years, the number of …

Climate on Track to Warm by Nearly 5.2F Without Aggressive Actions: UN Report

Countries’ current emissions pledges to limit climate change would still put the world on track to warm by nearly 3 degrees Celsius this century, according to a United Nations analysis released Monday. The annual Emissions Gap report, which assesses countries’ …

Growing ‘Greenlash’ Fuels Fears for Europe’s Environmental Ambitions

A growing ‘greenlash’ against Europe’s environmental agenda has not so far derailed its decarbonization plans, but looming elections could put future climate and nature measures at risk. The European Union (EU) has burnished its role as a leader on climate …