An Argument for Multi-District Climate Litigation

Abstract

Climate change is no longer an abstract problem for future generations. It is an immediate threat to human life and health, the tangible effects of which can be seen and felt around the world. The news is teeming with examples of climate disasters. In March 2022, an Antarctic ice shelf the size of Rome collapsed due to abnormally high temperatures. In 2021, there were four major disasters that cost over $20 billion each. The average temperatures from 2010 to 2019 were the highest on record, and July 2021, was the hottest month in recorded history. Nearly one third of the world’s population is exposed to deadly heat waves for more than twenty days out of the year. These are just a few examples of how climate change is already having a disastrous impact on the world. In its 2021 report, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that many of the changes to our climate caused by carbon emissions will be irreversible for hundreds or thousands of years to come. The World Health Organization has dubbed climate change as the biggest threat to humanity, and climate change is projected to lead to an additional 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. Climate litigation is one strategy being used to address the impacts of climate change. While climate litigation has seen some success in other countries, climate