Doing the preliminary research before writing this material, we found out that the most popular query on the topic of climate change in Kazakhstan is the question: "Global climate change - who is to blame?"
So, who is to blame then?
Trying to answer this question, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has recently published Global Climate Litigation Report: 2020 Status Review. It provides an overview of the current state of climate change litigation globally and the main trends in this area. This document's primary purpose is to demonstrate how litigation motivates governments and corporations worldwide to fulfill their climate commitments. The researchers discovered that today the number of litigations on the issue of climate change is globally soaring. If in 2017, 884 cases were initiated in 24 countries of the world, then as of July 1, 2020, this figure doubled, and the number of court cases in 38 countries amounted to 1,550.
After all, let's not forget that the right to a healthy environment is one of the fundamental human rights, and therefore it can and should be defended. That is why the report presents the five types of "climate" cases so that you and I have an idea of the direction in which litigation in the field of climate change may develop in the coming years. "Environmental rule of law – supported and achieved in part through strong and independent judiciaries – contributes as an effective vaccine against future zoonotic diseases and pandemics. Therefore, the role of judiciaries in combating climate change cannot be overstated," emphasizes Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program.
You can find more information on the UNEP report
here.
