Climate Litigation: Law, Strategy, and Social Change

Climate litigation has become one of the most dynamic tools for holding governments and corporations accountable for environmental impacts. This text-based course offers a comprehensive introduction to the legal mechanisms, strategies, and key arguments shaping modern environmental law and advocacy. You will develop the ability to critically read and evaluate climate-related lawsuits, understand the legal theories used in diverse jurisdictions, and explore how judicial decisions influence public policy and social change. What you'll learn: - Understand core legal terminology, international conventions, and procedural concepts in environmental law - Analyze landmark climate cases brought against governments, public authorities, and corporate emitters - Evaluate human rights-based arguments, constitutional rights, and intergenerational equity claims - Examine corporate accountability, greenwashing challenges, and evolving disclosure obligations - Understand how climate attribution science is integrated into legal reasoning to establish causation - Assess strategic litigation techniques used by civil society to support systemic reform The course begins with foundational definitions and legal principles before progressing through detailed case studies, strategic frameworks, and practical written exercises designed to test your analytical understanding. This course is built for beginners, advocates, researchers, and professionals interested in environmental policy, with no prior legal background required. Start reading to build a clear understanding of how the law is leveraged to drive climate action.