Latest trends in climate litigation against fossil fuel companies

This briefing analyzes the rise of climate litigation against major fossil fuel companies, noting that 86 lawsuits have been filed, with annual filings nearly tripling since 2015. The most prevalent cases seek compensation for climate damages (38%), followed by claims of misleading advertising (16%) and demands for emissions reductions (12%). The report highlights a shift toward criminal litigation, targeting executives for 'crimes against humanity' and involuntary manslaughter, and notes a growing trend in challenging project permits and corporate directors' liability.

• A total of 86 climate lawsuits have been filed against the world's largest oil, gas, and coal producing corporations, with the annual rate of filing nearly tripling since the 2015 Paris Agreement. The majority of these cases (58 percent) have been brought in the US, followed by Europe at 24 percent. ExxonMobil and Shell are the most frequent defendants, with 43 and 42 cases respectively.
• Lawsuits seeking compensation for climate damages are the most common, accounting for 38 percent of cases. This category has seen a dramatic increase, rising from three cases filed before 2017 to 30 since then. Potential liabilities are estimated to be substantial; Climate Analytics calculated that the largest 25 oil and gas companies are responsible for USD 20 trillion in climate damages from 1985 to 2018.

APA

Team, Z. (2024). Latest trends in climate litigation against fossil fuel companies. Zero Carbon Analytics. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/latest-trends-in-climate-litigation-against-fossil-fuel-companies/

Chicago

Team, ZCA. Latest trends in climate litigation against fossil fuel companies. Zero Carbon Analytics, 2024. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/latest-trends-in-climate-litigation-against-fossil-fuel-companies/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Team |first1=ZCA |title=Latest trends in climate litigation against fossil fuel companies |publisher=Zero Carbon Analytics |date=11 September 2024 |url=https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/latest-trends-in-climate-litigation-against-fossil-fuel-companies/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{team2024latest, author = {Team, ZCA}, title = {{Latest trends in climate litigation against fossil fuel companies}}, institution = {Zero Carbon Analytics}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/latest-trends-in-climate-litigation-against-fossil-fuel-companies/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }