Cases range from misinformation and claims about product attributes to failure to disclose climate risks, reveals a new study from the London School of Economics and Political Science. The USA, Australia and the UK lead the “ranking”.
Lawsuits against companies for climate washing or “greenwashing” have increased globally, according to A analysis This was published Thursday by the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and Environment Research at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
The report “Global Trends in Climate Change Claims: Projections to 2023” shows that 26 cases of climate washing were initiated in 2022, compared to fewer than 10 in 2020.
The cases involve multiple types of misinformation, including claims about product attributes, overinvestment and support for climate action, and failure to disclose climate risks.
The report’s authors, Joanna Setzer and Kate Higham, say in a statement that “cases related to misinformation about climate change are far from new, but in recent years there has been an explosion of climate-washing cases brought before the courts as well as administrative bodies and consumer protection agencies.”
One of the most significant groups of climate washing operations are those that challenge the validity of the climate commitments of companies, that is, when they are not supported by appropriate plans and policies.
“The growth of climate washing reflects broader concerns about corporate responsibility for climate obligations, along with ongoing debates about the role of business in climate-related decision-making,” the authors explain.
Overall, the report reveals, there was a peak in 2021, with 266 new climate lawsuits. Although only 222 new cases were reported in 2022, the authors caution that it remains unclear whether this marks the beginning of a downward trend.
They also noted that new climate litigation in the United States peaked in 2020, during the last year of Donald Trump’s presidency.
The analysis was based on information on 2,341 climate litigation cases contained in a database compiled by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School. Of these cases, 1,157 have been registered since 2015.
The United States remains the country with the most documented climate litigation cases, with 1,590 cases in total. It is followed by Australia, with 130 cases decided, and the United Kingdom with 102. 67 cases have been brought before the Court of Justice of the European Union. A relatively large number of cases have been reported in Germany (59), Brazil (40), and Canada (35).
The report concluded, “More than 50% of climate-related cases have direct legal consequences that can be understood as favorable to climate action and, in some cases, have led to well-documented changes in policy.”
The authors also draw attention to possible future directions, with the emergence of litigation focused on biodiversity, cases dealing with the duties of governments and companies to protect the oceans, extreme weather events where climate change may not be the main focus, and cases involving minors. Living climate pollutants and international conflicts between countries.
