Lawsuits aim to hold fossil fuel companies responsible for climate change. Here's a look at some
Farmer and mountain guide Saúl Luciano Lliuya said glaciers above his hometown of Huaraz are melting, increasing the risk of catastrophic flooding. RWE, which has never operated in Peru, denies legal responsibility, arguing that climate change is a global issue caused by many contributors.
Experts say the case at the state court in Hamm, in western Germany, could set a significant precedent in the fight to hold major polluters accountable for climate change.
Here's a look at other climate cases being watched closely:
An environmental group has asked the Dutch Supreme Court to uphold a landmark lower court ruling that ordered energy company Shell to cut carbon emissions by net 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels.
That ruling was overturned in November by an appeals court — a defeat for the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth and other environmental groups, which had hailed the original 2021 ruling as a victory for the climate.
Climate activists have scored several courtroom victories, including in 2015, when a court in The Hague ordered the government to cut emissions by at least 25% by the end of 2020 from benchmark 1990 levels. The Dutch Supreme Court upheld that ruling five years ago.
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The United Nations' top court held two weeks of hearings in December into what countries worldwide are legally required to do to combat climate change and help vulnerable nations fight its impacts.
The case was spurred by a group of island nations that fear they could simply disappear under rising sea waters, prompting the U.N. General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice for an opinion on 'the obligations of States in respect of climate change.'
Any decision in the case, the largest in the court's history, would be non-binding advice and could not directly force wealthy nations to act, though it could serve as the basis for other legal actions, including domestic lawsuits.
In another advisory opinion requested by small island nations, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea last year said carbon emissions qualify as marine pollution and countries must take steps to mitigate and adapt to their adverse effects.
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Colombia and Chile are awaiting an advisory opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on whether countries are responsible for climate change harms and, if so, what their obligations are to respond on human rights grounds.
A four-day hearing was held this month in the Brazilian state of Amazonas and an opinion is expected by the end of the year.
Much of the testimony focused on indigenous rights in Latin America, including whether industries violate their rights to life and to defend their land from environmental harm.
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Dozens of U.S. states and local governments have filed lawsuits alleging that fossil fuel companies misled the public about how their products could contribute to climate change, claiming billions of dollars in damage from more frequent and intense storms, flooding, rising seas and extreme heat.
In March the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit from Republican attorneys general in 19 states aimed at blocking climate change suits against the oil and gas industry from Democratic-led states.
And state supreme courts in Massachusetts, Hawaii and Colorado have rejected attempts by oil companies to dismiss lawsuits, allowing them to proceed in lower courts.
Even so, the Trump Justice Department recently sued Hawaii and Michigan to prevent the states from seeking damages from fossil fuel companies in state court for harms caused by climate change. The DOJ also sued New York and Vermont, challenging their climate superfund laws that would force fossil fuel companies to pay into state-based funds based on previous greenhouse gas emissions.
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The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
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Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Death toll soars in Russian strike on Kyiv
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Trump also has been threatening secondary sanctions that would penalize buyers of Russian oil, mainly China and India, potentially starving Russia of funds for its war machine, but so far, he has refrained from imposing them, arguing this could alienate Moscow and reduce hopes of reaching a peace deal. Advertisement Russia, meanwhile, has launched deadly attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, while grinding forward and seizing more territory in eastern Ukraine. Russia has struck playgrounds, maternity hospitals, apartment buildings, civilian buses, and other civilian targets. Russia's Ministry of Defense insists that Russia attacks military targets with 'precision strikes.' Earlier in the week, Trump tightened the deadline to 10 days from 50 days for Russia to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine or face new sanctions. Trump said that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, would fly to Russia to meet with officials after visiting Gaza and Israel. 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Yahoo
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- Yahoo
Trump says he will fire lead official on economic data as stocks shudder
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NBC News
5 hours ago
- NBC News
Going Dutch: LGBTQ Americans find Trump-free life in Netherlands
AMSTERDAM — It had been months since Alex and Lucy, a trans couple from Arizona, felt safe enough to hold hands in public. They rediscovered that pleasure after moving to Amsterdam this year. The couple, who did not want to give their last names because of the sensitivity of the subject, decided to leave the United States soon after Donald Trump was re-elected last year. They arrived in the Netherlands on Jan. 19, the day before Trump was inaugurated and swiftly issued an executive order saying the government would only recognize two sexes — male and female. 'We're both visibly trans and faced growing discrimination. It ramped up right after the election,' said Lucy, sitting alongside Alex in their De Pijp apartment in Amsterdam's south. 'It felt like people had taken off their masks — waiting for an excuse to finally say what they wanted. We went from being tolerated to openly despised,' she added. 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DAFT — established as a 1956 act of Cold War cooperation — enables U.S. citizens to live and work in the Netherlands if they start a small business investing at least 4,500 euro ($5,200), can secure Dutch housing, and are able to prove they have enough money to live on. The permit is valid for two years and can be renewed. 'Europe was always on the cards, but the Netherlands had a really high percentage of queer folks, and we knew people here (who) were trans and happy,' said Lucy, who got a DAFT visa. 'Numbers increasing' While the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) does not keep statistics on the sexual orientation or gender identity of DAFT applicants, overall applications have increased since 2016, with January 2025 registering the highest number of any single month on record — 80. 'The numbers are increasing. We don't know why,' said Gerard Spierenburg, IND spokesperson. Immigration lawyers also report an increase. 'From the day after the election, my inbox began filling up with requests of U.S. citizens wanting to move to the Netherlands,' said lawyer Jonathan Bierback, adding that about a fifth came from the LGBTQ+ community. Three other lawyers in Amsterdam confirmed the trend in interviews with the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Jack Mercury, a trans adult performer from California, moved to Amsterdam almost a year and a half ago — 'literally the moment I knew Trump was going to be re-elected'. He said the DAFT visa was 'one of the few financially accessible visas' for him. He now lives in west Amsterdam with a partner and two cats. 'The words to describe the U.S. in the last 100 days are uncertainty and fear. For trans people, it's fear that they'll lose access to healthcare, rights like housing or the ability to work. And for gay people and lesbians, it's that they will become the next targets,' Mercury said. This year, more than 950 anti-trans bills were introduced in U.S. state legislatures, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker, of which 120 have passed, 647 failed, and 186 are still under consideration. 'I feel very lucky. I know many people who cannot afford to move, because they're not high earners, they are sick, have family or children,' said Mercury. His friend Topher Gross, a trans hair stylist from New York who has been in Amsterdam for four years, offered housing tips and recommended a lawyer. 'Everyone's exploring any possible way to get out,' said Gross. 'But not everyone can — many trans people of colour can't afford to leave. It's terrifying.' He noted that the climate of fear was exacerbated by deportations under Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. 'Basic rights are being stripped away.' Jess Drucker, an LGBTQ relocation expert with U.S.-based Rainbow Relocation, said many U.S. clients choose to go Dutch. 'People see how quickly rights can erode, with the global rise of right-wing extremism, and want to move somewhere where those rights are more likely to hold,' Drucker said. 'We've seen a major increase in requests for consultations. We are absolutely full.' Because not everyone can afford a DAFT visa, the Dutch NGO LGBT Asylum Support is urging the government to consider asylum options for LGBTQ Americans. Spokesperson Sandro Kortekaas said about 50 trans Americans had contacted the group since Trump's inauguration. In June, the group asked the government to reassess the status of the United States as a safe country for queer asylum seekers. However, Bierback does not expect success as such a shift would be seen 'as a provocation towards the U.S.' Spierenburg from the IND said there had been more asylum applications from the United States this year than last, although the numbers were still low — 33 against 9 in 2024. Lucy and Alex are grateful for their new life. 'When I came here, I felt more at home than I ever did. I have so much hope,' said Lucy. But she does worry that a future Dutch administration — a right-wing coalition collapsed in June — could kill off DAFT. 'I'm really concerned that the treaty is going to be damaged by current political agendas. And so I'm doing everything I can to make sure that I stay within the rules. I don't want to be extradited for any reason.'
