28 August 2026
New Zealand’s Shameful Climate Tort Law – And What Climate Lawyers Can Learn from It
New Zealand’s Climate Change Response (Tort Liability) Amendment Act became law on 24 August 2026. The Act is the first national law to comprehensively rule out civil liability for activities that cause harm by contributing to climate change. The stagnating political salience of climate change presents significant challenges for climate lawyers, who must consider the viability of their claims in both courts and the political process. Continue reading >>
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08 May 2026
The BMW and Mercedes Climate Cases
The Bundesgerichtshof – Germany's highest court of civil jurisdiction – has handed down its first ruling on private climate liability and dismissed the widely discussed lawsuits against BMW and Mercedes. These strategic lawsuits were based on a very specific claim that is hard to replicate in other legal systems. Nevertheless, the rulings contain general considerations that, from a comparative law perspective, reveal a remarkable degree of judicial restraint. Continue reading >>
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