Courts as climate guardians: How litigation is advancing climate change goals

WHEN most people think about addressing climate change, they often envision high-level policy meetings, international summits, and governmental negotiations. However, what is frequently overlooked is the increasingly pivotal role courts worldwide are playing in enabling individuals and advocacy groups to hold governments and corporations accountable for their environmental impact. Through strategic climate litigation, citizens are asserting their legal rights and demanding stronger climate policies. These legal actions directly contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG 13): taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

(The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals aimed at "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" while tackling climate change and working to preserve oceans and forests.)