How Entire Countries Have Become the Target of Climate Change Lawsuits

International negotiations have delivered mixed results in tackling climate change, so some people are turning to another tool in search of faster progress: litigation.

Around the world, many of the most vulnerable citizens, communities and nations are suing countries and corporations over what they see as a lack of climate action. They want to force polluters and governments to pay for past harms and to avert future threats, and they’re using the law to assign blame for damage. Opponents say climate policy is not a matter for the courts, but for agreements between nations, such as those on emissions reduction, methane and deforestation.