PARIS: Farmers and fishermen hit by climate change are taking big corporate polluters to court — and experts say these David-vs-Goliath lawsuits are only set to multiply as the planet keeps warming.
From Pakistan to Belgium and Peru, ordinary people bearing the brunt of failed harvests, rising seas and destructive storms are demanding compensation from the heavy-emitting industries most responsible for the climate crisis.
Once dismissed as legal long shots, climate damage claims are gaining traction, bolstered by scientific advances tying rising greenhouse gas emissions to extreme weather.
While most face steep hurdles, legal scholars say these cases are slowly shifting how courts view responsibility for climate-related economic harm — and who should pay for it.
The use of courts and other legal avenues to pursue climate litigation has grown rapidly over the past decade, particularly in the United States.
