Introduction
Climate litigation has become an important tool in the fight against climate change. Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, the number of climate-related lawsuits has been growing constantly. A recent study by the London School of Economics (LSE) shows that 249 new cases were registered in 2025, bringing the total to over 3,600 cases since 1986.
The Growth of Climate Litigation
The Annual Report on Global Trends in Climate Litigation, published by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the LSE's Global School of Sustainability, indicates that more countries are joining the “club” of climate litigation. Currently, 62 nations have climate-related cases, up from 17 a decade ago.
The United States remains the jurisdiction with the highest number of cases, with 151 new lawsuits filed last year, bringing the total in the country to over 2,000 cases. Other jurisdictions also reported significant numbers of cases at the end of 2025, such as Brazil (354), Australia (193), the United Kingdom (156), and Germany (121).
New Focus of Climate Litigation
“Climate washing” cases, which challenge governments' or companies' inaccurate narratives about climate action and energy transition, remain the most common type of climate-related litigation. However, the pace of new cases of this type has slowed down in the last year.
In compensation, the attention of plaintiffs is shifting to other topics, especially in the industry. One of the topics of attention is carbon capture and storage (CCS), hailed by oil companies as “the” solution to contain climate change, despite being expensive and having no proven effectiveness.
Climate Litigation Cases in Brazil
Brazil stands out in the LSE analysis, especially in cases based on the polluter-pays principle, which account for 249 of the 354 cases registered in the country. The study's authors state that the country has made significant progress since the judiciary began applying formal criteria to convert climate impacts into monetary repair values.
Conclusion
Climate litigation is an important instrument in the fight against climate change. With the growth of climate-related lawsuits, it is essential that governments and companies take measures to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy transition.
Source / Reference
This article is based on the London School of Economics (LSE) study on climate litigation, available at https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Global-Trends-in-Climate-Litigation-final.pdf. The original source of the text is https://climainfo.org.br/2026/07/08/litigancia-climatica-segue-crescendo-mas-com-novos-focos-mostra-estudo/.