Climate litigation against companies is increasing and the stakes are getting higher. Last year saw more headline-making claims being brought against corporations and a slew of important decisions from courts in jurisdictions around the world, and this trend looks set to continue in 2024. We are moving ever closer to a potential moment of legal reckoning for the fossil fuel industry. The main barrier to progress in the high-profile US-based litigation against oil and gas companies, the issue of forum, has largely been resolved (in the plaintiffs’ favour), paving the way for the substance of these claims to finally be examined in court. The stage is now set for such cases to proceed to trial in state courts, and a verdict on the merits in one of these cases is now a realistic prospect.
