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7 LegalResponses toClimateChange… 181
7.2.1 PublicLawLitigation
Publiclawlitigationputstheactionorinactionofnationalauthoritiesunderscrutiny.
In common law jurisdictions, such “judicial review” often takes place before an
ordinarycourt,whereascivil lawjurisdictionsoftenhavespecificcourts inchargeof
administrativeand,mostly, constitutional oversight.Normally, public law litigation
is based on the inconsistency of an act or omission of a national authoritywith a
rule of higher hierarchical standing.For instance, a regulation couldbe struckbya
court because it is incompatiblewith a statute, or the applicationof a statute could
besuspendedwhen it is incompatiblewith theconstitution.
Public lawlitigationrelatedtoclimatechangehasoftenfocusedontheobligation
ofastatetomitigateclimatechangeratherthandirectlyonwaystoaddresslossesand
damages.Thedecisionof theUSSupremeCourt inMassachusettsv.Environmental
Protection Agency, for instance, forced the Environmental Protection Agency to
regulate GHGs as air pollutants. As another example, in 2015, a decision of the
DistrictCourt ofTheHague in the case ofUrgendaFoundation v. TheState of the
Netherlands found thegovernmentof theNetherlands inbreachof its obligation to
mitigate climate change under international lawandordered it to takemeasures to
reducenationalgreenhousegasemissionsbyatleast25%until theendof2020based
on the1990 levels.This judgment iscurrentlyunderappealand thefinaldecision is
still pendingat the timeofpublication.
TheNetherlands isoneofvery few jurisdictionswhere international lawobliga-
tions are recognised a legal value similar to that of the constitution, thus providing
a strongbasis for public law litigationon the implementationof international com-
mitments.Nevertheless, thesuccessof theUrgendacase inafirst instance judgment
inspired many similar cases such as Juliana v. United States of America on the
constitutional protection of future generations against climate change anddecision
W1092000179-1/291E[2007]ontheadverserulingtoathirdrunwayontheVienna
Airport due to climate change concerns (which has however been reversed by the
constitutionalCourt in June2017).
Likewise, public law litigation can be used to push a government to promote
climate change adaptation or otherwise addressL&D.The case ofAshgarLeghari
v.FederationofPakistan regardedanalleged inconsistencyof the limitedeffortsby
thegovernmentofPakistantopromoteclimatechangeadaptationwithconstitutional
provisionsontheprotectionoffundamentalrights.In2015,theHighCourtofLahore
recognised that“thedelayandlethargyof theState in implementing theFramework
offend[ed] the fundamental rights of the citizens which need to be safeguarded”
(W.P.No.25501/2015,atpara.8).Accordingly, thecourtorderedthegovernmentof
Pakistan to takeaction topromoteclimate changeadaptationunder the supervision
of anadhocpanel of experts reporting to the court.As this case illustrates, redress
canextend farbeyondcompensation.
Theeffectofpublic lawlitigation is limitedbytherulesonthebasisofwhichthe
actionoromissionofnational authorities canbecontested.Domestic constitutional
provisions on the protection of fundamental rights, invoked in the case ofAshgar
Loss and Damage from Climate Change
Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Title
- Loss and Damage from Climate Change
- Subtitle
- Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Authors
- Reinhard Mechler
- Laurens M. Bouwer
- Thomas Schinko
- Swenja Surminski
- JoAnne Linnerooth-Bayer
- Publisher
- Springer Open
- Date
- 2019
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-3-319-72026-5
- Size
- 16.0 x 24.0 cm
- Pages
- 580
- Keywords
- Environment, Climate change, Environmental law, Environmental policy, Risk management
- Categories
- International
- Naturwissenschaften Umwelt und Klima