Catherine Higham

The authors of this paper construct a comprehensive database of filings and decisions relating to 108 climate lawsuits against US- and European-listed firms between 2005 and 2021. Read more

This book chapter discusses the 2024 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that Switzerland was in breach of its positive obligations to protect the health, well-being and quality of life of its citizens from the impacts of climate change. Read more

This article examines the 14 climate-related complaints filed under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct prior to the adoption of the 2023 Update, showing how many of these cases illustrate the potential interlinkages between the human rights and climate change dimensions of the Guidelines. Read more

Using publicly available data on country- and company-level net-zero targets, this econometric analysis reveals a positive relationship between state and company: A country introducing a domestic net-zero target in law increases the likelihood of companies introducing their own voluntary targets and vice-versa. Read more

Recent years have seen increased attention on the impact that the global stock of over 3000 international investment agreements may... Read more

This working paper presents evidence that litigation reduces firm value. This means that climate litigation should be considered a relevant financial risk by lenders, financial regulators and governments. Read more

This presentation forms part of the Corporate Accountability and Liability Mechanisms for Climate Change: Event Report. Read more

This paper provides an overview of known climate litigation case numbers, metrics and categorisations, and considers some of the most relevant trends in the arguments and strategies employed by litigants. Read more

Our Global trends in climate change litigation 2024 report, translated into Korean. Read more

This is a response to an open consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system. Read more

This submission presents eight key recommendations for Parties to the UNFCCC which address the priorities of the second dialogue of the UAE Just Transition Work Programme. Read more

This report consists of a submission to a Scottish Parliament consultation on the Climate Change Targets Bill, launched in August 2024. Read more

This submission focuses on access to information on climate change and human rights in response to a call for inputs issued by the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. Read more

This report reviews key global developments in climate change litigation during 2023, and provides numerical analysis and a qualitative assessment of the trends and themes in the types of cases filed. Read more

This report seeks to map globally which countries are integrating ideas associated with the just transition into domestic climate policy, and how. It focuses on economy-wide and energy policies and provides recommendations to national policymakers and finance actors. Read more

This report analyses the impact of climate framework laws in three countries, Germany, Ireland and New Zealand, with input from 73 expert interviews, to better understand how such laws have impact and draw lessons for other countries. Read more

This report consists of a submission by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment to a call for inputs on corporate accountability in the context of human rights and climate change. Read more

This report categorises emerging corruption and integrity risks to the low-carbon transition, offering recommendations on how to tackle them. Read more

This report consists of a response to a call for inputs on ‘Investors, ESG and Human Rights’ by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. It focuses on the climate change-related human rights responsibilities of investors. Read more

This report, the fifth in our annual series, reviews key global developments in climate change litigation with a focus on the period June 2022 to May 2023. Read more

Informed by research conducted using the Climate Change Laws of the World database, this report consists of a submission to a call for inputs on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. Read more

This report describes Europe's 'Fit for 55 package and broader programme of legal reforms associated with the EU's climate ambitions, and looks at the role of climate litigation in shaping Europe's legislation. Read more

The Quarterly Forecast Tracker monitors momentum and level of ambition on global energy and land transition policy and technology developments.... Read more

Climate litigation in Europe has emerged as a way to bring about more ambitious climate policies and actions from governments and companies and some European cases and decisions have been influencing litigants and courts around the world. This report provides a synthesis of information on the current state of development of climate change litigation on the continent. Read more

This brief explores the role and potential of domestic climate law in responding to climate change and the specific governance functions they must be tailored to. Read more

Government framework litigation cases are becoming increasingly common, with litigants challenging governments' policy responses to climate change. This report explores the significant impacts this has had, and will continue to have, on national policymaking and climate action. Read more

More needs to be done to ensure the accountability and credibility of net zero commitments made by a range of actors. This response to a UN consultation offers evidence and recommendations on how this can be done. Read more

This latest edition of our annual report on global trends in climate change litigation takes stock of developments over the period May 2021 to May 2022, and draws on a number of recent case studies from around the world. It also identifies areas where climate litigation cases are likely to increase in the future. Read more

This presentation given at the Inevitable Policy Response Quarterly Forecast Tracker event on 30th June 2022 provides an assessment of the international policy response to the Just Transition. Read more

Climate change framework laws are needed for the successful implementation of the Paris Agreement. This policy insight examines the elements that can be ‘built in’ to framework laws to specify accountability for the implementation of the core obligations contained within, based on a review of 43 such laws from the Climate Change Laws of the World database. Read more

This is the third report in our Global trends in climate litigation series, focusing on cases filed or concluded between May 2020 and May 2021. It provides an update of known case numbers, metrics and categorisations, and considers some of the most relevant trends in the arguments and strategies employed by litigants. Read more

This book chapter discusses the 2024 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that Switzerland was in breach of its positive obligations to protect the health, well-being and quality of life of its citizens from the impacts of climate change. Read more

A recent case challenging the UK Government’s Food Strategy raises important questions about the sustainability of our food system and its impact on the climate crisis, an issue that is starting to find its way before other courts around the world. Read more

Guardian, 8 April 2025 Read more

As a decision approaches in the landmark climate litigation case brought by a Peruvian farmer against a German electricity producer, this commentary compares the case with others where claimants are alleging transboundary climate-induced harm against companies – and explains the importance of doing so. Read more

This article discusses a number of current legal and regulatory issues related to climate change and ESG. Read more

Thompson Reuters, 19 July 2024 Read more

Guardian, 27 June 2024 Read more

Following the approval of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), this commentary explores the implications of the evolving regulatory landscape for corporate action on climate change. Read more

As the dust settles on the first comprehensive decision on a climate litigation case by the European Court of Human Rights, this commentary explores the implication the judgment for how Switzerland, and others countries, now address climate change. Read more

In this commentary, Juliana Vélez Echeverri, Catherine Higham and Joana Setzer examine in greater detail the number and nature of climate-washing cases that have been filed to date and assess their outcomes, using data from the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law’s database of climate litigation. Read more

This article reports on a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that weak government policies on climate change... Read more

Emily Bradeen and Kate Higham discuss their work on updating UNEP’s Law and Climate Change Toolkit, with a focus on how challenges related to inclusivity are being addressed in certain countries. Read more

This news article reports on a current court case involving environmental activists who protested at the London headquarters of JPMorgan.... Read more

If passed, a draft law that proposes a “loss and damage-focused legal framework” for the Philippines would be a world first. This commentary outlines the bill’s innovative provisions and explains how it reflects broader trends in climate change laws and litigation. Read more

This article provides an overview of some of the key functions of climate change framework laws before taking a closer look at laws from the Commonwealth countries of Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. The article references data from the Climate Change Laws of the World database. Read more

This article discusses a recent report by the Institute on emerging corruption and integrity risks to the low-carbon transition. Business... Read more

This article reports on how courts dealing with climate litigation cases may sometimes seek guidance from precedents set in other... Read more

A paper by researchers from the Grantham Research Institute at LSE has been awarded the Best Paper Prize at the 6th annual conference of the Global Research Alliance on Sustainable Finance and Investment (GRASFI).   Read more

Vox, July 27 2023 Read more

Article focuses on the impact of climate litigation. In the piece the journalist refers to two Grantham reports. Guardian, 27... Read more

The piece focuses on the launch of Global Trends in Climate Litigation 2023: report launch. Reuters, 29 June 2023 Read more

Isabela Keuschnigg and Catherine Higham explore how questions about the ocean and its role in the climate crisis are being addressed through climate laws and litigation. Read more

This piece focuses on a lawsuit being made by a group Swiss women who are taking their government to European... Read more

French environmental organizations Notre Affaire à Tous, Friends of the Earth France, and Oxfam France last week filed what they... Read more

Tiffanie Chan and Catherine Higham explore the implications of ‘net zero legislation’ on one key stakeholder group whose role in the transition remains a hot topic for debate – private companies. Read more

This podcast for the ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’ series with Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd considers the state of climate... Read more

Article covers the seven women have been spared prison after smashing the windows of Barclays’ London HQ in a climate... Read more

This article reports on the case of the multinational food company Danone which is being sued under a French law requiring large companies to address their environmental impact. Read more

One of the major consequences of climate change is the forced movement of people due to changing weather patterns and the long-term degradation of ecosystems. This commentary analyses existing policy responses to climate migration worldwide and identifies the gaps. Read more

This episode of the Al Jazeera's Earthwise programme highlights climate related legal challenges being made by citizens and campaigners against governments and major corporations. Read more

Australia, The Bahamas, India and Nigeria have all made legislative progress on climate change since COP26. Using data from the Climate Change Laws of the World database, this commentary assesses the impact of these developments in domestic climate legislation. Read more

In this article for Chatham House's 'The World Today' magazine Catherine Higham and Joana Setzer explain how climate change litigation has emerged as a crucial channel for advancing climate policy and ensuring accountability. Read more

In this blog post for PoliticsHome Catherine Higham considers the implications of a lawsuit made by a group of Russian... Read more

With the High Court in London ruling in July 2022 that the UK Government is in breach of its climate obligations, Catherine Higham and Joana Setzer discuss the judgment and explain the implications for climate action in the UK and beyond. Read more

This article reports on research by the Institute which shows a big increase in legal cases against the fossil fuel industry and other corporate sectors over the past year. Read more

To deepen understanding of climate litigation against private sector actors, Catherine Higham and Honor Kerry analyse climate cases filed in 2021 against companies in different sectors and consider what the future holds. Read more

This article in The Economist considers the rise in climate related lawsuits across the world. Many of these cases have been inspired by, or make reference to, the Paris Agreement on climate change. The article makes use of data from the Grantham Research Institute’s Global Trends in Climate Litigation study. Read more

Environmental constitutionalism has become a widespread phenomenon but now a group of nations is taking things further, adopting ‘climate constitutionalism’ and thereby placing themselves at the forefront of expressing climate concerns in the language of constitutional rights, as this commentary explains. Read more

Catherine Higham discusses the current state of climate litigation in this podcast show for The Economist. Read more

In this blog post Joana Setzer and Catherine Higham consider the significance of recent climate related court cases against governments and corporations. Read more

Catherine Higham and Joana Setzer summarise how climate litigation is affecting the private sector, drawing on their recent report, Global Trends in Climate Litigation: 2021 snapshot. Read more

This report considers the recent spate of climate litigation cases against governments and major companies. It suggests that frustration with political progress on tackling climate change is leading communities and activists into taking court action. The article includes quotes from the Institute's Catherine Higham. Read more

Joana Setzer, Catherine Higham and Vibha Mohan provide evidence to complement the OECD’s own ‘stocktake’ of the Guidelines for MNEs by reviewing key developments in understanding of responsible conduct in the climate context, drawing on important climate litigation cases. Read more

This article considers how the latest the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate science could become a... Read more

This magazine article reports on how climate activists have won a number of recent ‘landmark’ cases against big emitters. The... Read more

This news article reports on an Australian court case in which a judge formalised into law a government’s duty of... Read more

This article considers the increase in climate related court cases since 2015 and includes quotes from Kate Higham. Reuters, 2... Read more

This commentary presents the international investment law scenario in which climate-related ‘Investor-State Dispute Settlement’, or ISDS, cases are emerging, identifies the main types of ISDS cases, and considers some reasons why ISDS is relevant for climate litigation and climate policies. Read more

Kate Higham looks into the background to the contempt-of-court trial of Plan B’s Tim Crosland in connection with the ‘Heathrow Case’ and links the trial to a broader phenomenon which sees courts deliberately chosen by climate activists as a space to debate the moral implications of climate inaction. Read more

This article discusses recent climate related court cases involving young people and includes an interview with Catherine Higham. Bloomberg, 17... Read more