Judicial Watch
The courts have become a beacon of hope in the fight for substantial climate action in Ontario. As governments continue to drop the ball, activists are looking to judges to help make serious progress. This blog contains reporting on the complex, varied and significant cases under way both here and abroad.
A Landmark Case/Held v. Montana
There is much to celebrate about the exciting, landmark decision from the Montana District Court in the youth case of Held v. Montana. (To read the full text of the decision, issued on August 14, 2023, click HERE.) Shortly after the trial ended in June, a summary of...
Global Climate Litigation Report
A hefty new report (109 pages) has arrived from the United Nations Environment Program (July 27, 2023) in conjunction with the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Climate School (Columbia Law School). It is entitled "Global Climate Litigation: 2023 Status...
Ontario Youth Take the Government to Task in Court/Part 2
Part 2 of this series, “The Story of Mathur v. Ontario,” focuses on the landmark court decision handed down in April 2023 dismissing all of the claims by the young applicants. “Climate litigation is complex, time-consuming, expensive, slow, frustrating and usually...
“Anatomy of a Climate Trial” by Alan Levy
"Held is the first youth-led climate case and first constitutional climate case to reach trial in the U.S." Alan Levy's detailed account of the 2023 case of Held v. Montana sets out clearly and succinctly the type of evidence courts might consider in climate cases...
Ontario Youth Take the Government to Task in Court/Part 1
SCAN! member Alan Levy has written a perceptive summary of the progress of the legal challenge initiated by a very impressive group of young people concerned about the impact of the climate crisis: "Mathur v. Ontario is a Charter case that was launched in 2019 by...
A Canadian First: Ontario Youth Take the Government to Court
Sophia, Zoe, Shaelyn, Shelby, Alex, Madison, and Beze — represented by Ecojustice lawyers — are going to the Ontario Superior Court on September 12–14. This case is a Canadian first, and we want them to head into proceedings with your support ringing in their ears....