Explainer-Climate activists, companies lawyer up for courtroom battles

A man holds a sign as activists mark the start of Climate Week in New York during a demonstration calling for the U.S. government to take action on climate change and reject the use of fossil fuels in New York City, New York, U.S., September 17, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/ File photo

DUBAI (Reuters) - 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-related court cases that have been filed around the world more than doubled, according to a 2023 report by the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) and New York's Columbia University, from 884 filed by 2017 to nearly 2,500 as of today.