Short Course: Climate Change Litigation

Course Details

Climate Change Litigation is an increasingly critical component of climate governance at the local, national, regional and global levels, exerting pressure on the executive and legislative branches of government to act on the climate change issues. At the same time, climate change-related cases have also been filed against private actors, mostly fossil fuel and cement companies, which are major greenhouse gas emitters. Young people, NGOs and others have taken to the courts to challenge governments' and corporations' actions or inactions.

This course is based around the most compelling practical issues and relevant sectors, while combining the scientific and legal frameworks and obstacles through which climate change litigation takes place. Finally, climate change litigation will be analysed as a global phenomenon, taking stock of landmark examples at the international and domestic levels, wherever they appear.

Course Topics and Tutors

• Global Perspectives on Climate Change Litigation
  Dr Ivano Alogna, BIICL
  Dr Delta Merner, Lead Scientist, Science Hub for Climate Litigation, Union of Concerned Scientists
  Dr Shaina Sadai, Visiting Professor in Geology and Geography, Mount Holyoke College
• Justiciability Issues in Climate Change Litigation
  Hon. Justice Brian J. Preston Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales
  Nigel Pleming KC Barrister, 39 Essex Chambers, Honorary Senior Fellow, BIICL
• Evidentiary and Attribution Science-related Issues in Climate Change Litigation
  Prof. Peter Stott Professor in Detection and Attribution at the University of Exeter and Science Fellow in Attribution at the Met Office Hadley Centre for Science and Services
  Anthony Wenton Research Fellow in Public International Law, BIICL
  
• International and Transboundary Climate Change Litigation 
  Prof. Annalisa Savaresi, Professor of Law at the University of Stirling and at the Centre for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law, University of Eastern Finland
  Dr. Noah Walker-Crawford Research Fellow, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, LSE
  
• Climate Change Litigation, ESG and Business
  Dr. Irene Pietropaoli Senior Fellow in Business and Human Rights, BIICL
  Marc Willers KC Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
  
• Climate Change Litigation and Human Rights
  Ingrid Gubbay, European Head of Human Rights and Environmental Law, Hausfeld
  Crisela Bernardino Research Fellow in Climate Change Litigation and International Law, BIICL
• Climate Change Litigation, Product Liability and Sustainable Consumption
  Prof. Duncan Fairgrieve KC Senior Research Fellow in Comparative Law and Director of the Product Liability Forum, BIICL, and Professor of Comparative Law, University Paris Dauphine
  Dr. Benjamin Franta Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow in Climate Litigation, Climate Litigation Lab, Oxford Sustainable Law Programme, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford
  
• Climate-related Trade and Investment Dispute Resolution
  Prof. Markus W. Gehring Professor of European and International Law & Director of Studies in Law at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge
  Wendy Miles KC Barrister, Twenty Essex
  

Download the course programme

By the end of the course, participants will:

• Be cognizant of the role of climate litigation in pursuing climate action
• Have a clear understanding of the principal issues, dynamics and obstacles of climate change litigation, both from a domestic (comparative) and international perspective;
• Be better able to critically understand and assess the legal tools and principles related to climate change litigation;
• Be able to identify critical domestic, comparative and international climate-related cases and opportunities for climate action.

Course leader

Dr Ivano Alogna, Senior Research Fellow in Environmental and Climate Change Law, British Institute of International and Comparative Law.

Who is the course for?

This course would benefit practitioners in private law firms and NGOs; civil servants, provincial departments and local authorities; environmental managers in private sector; civil society organizations; activists, academics and students.

Course format

The virtual course format will consist of a series of 8 sessions in which live (synchronous) teaching is offered via Zoom. Participants will be able to interact with the tutors and amongst themselves on screen.

Testimonials from past attendees

"This is a really excellent course. Really informative and well structured. It is suitable for anyone interested in this area including non-lawyers."

Training scholarships

We are delighted to be able to offer scholarships designed to enable individuals from communities currently under-represented in the legal field to access our world-class courses and benefit from unparalleled learning experiences.

Scholarships are aimed at 3 categories: individuals from communities and backgrounds that are under-represented in the legal field in the UK and abroad; individuals who have recently received a needs-based bursary from their university or further-education college and representatives from Small Charities, NGOs, and Community-Based Organisations.

Applications for training scholarships must be received at least three weeks ahead of the course start date (3 September 2025). Applications must be made via the online form and applications received via any other means will not be considered.

Find out more and apply for a scholarship here 

Join in the conversation @BIICL #BIICLTraining