Climate Court Voices

Climate Court Voices

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Climate Court Voices is a podcast dedicated to shedding light on pivotal climate litigation battles worldwide and amplifying the voices of those at the forefront of climate justice and environmental activism. Scripted and produced by Martina Igini.

Jul 29

These Alaskan tribes are demanding a say in Canadian mining

Can an international border erase thousands of years of Indigenous rights? In this episode, we dive into a cross-border legal battle unfolding between Southeast Alaskan tribes and British Columbia. As the Canadian government fast-tracks mining operations in the headwaters of the Stikine, Unuk, and Taku Rivers, downstream Alaskan tribes face devastating threats to their waters, livelihoods, and sacred ooligan runs. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (00:50) Tens of thousands of years of Ingineous stewardship (02:25) Indigenous testimony (03:29) The Saviour Fish (06:40) Industrial mining in the 1990s (09:37) An inherently destructive, depleting industry (13:13) Complaints go unheard (14:45) Eskay Creek mine reopens (16:53) The Desautel decision (24:07) The fight for consultation rights (27:39) Amendments to the Environmental Assessment Act (31:45) A seat at the table (33:40) Nature at a crossroad --- Climate Court Voices is an independent podcast shedding light on pivotal court battles through the voices of those at the forefront of climate justice and environmental activism. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to my Substack.
Jun 13

TotalEnergies on trial: Inside the lawsuit that could rewrite corporate climate accountability

This month, a French court will deliver a historic verdict on the nation’s first climate lawsuit aimed at holding a multinational oil giant legally accountable for its role in global warming. Launched in 2020 by a coalition of local French authorities, Notre Affaire à Tous, and four other civil society organizations, the case targets TotalEnergies – one of the world’s top six "supermajor" oil companies. The lawsuit challenges the corporation's continued expansion of oil and gas production, which proceeds despite decades of indisputable scientific evidence showing that fossil fuels are the primary drivers of the climate crisis. In this episode of Climate Court Voices, we sit down with Paul Mougeolle, strategic advisor for Notre Affaire à Tous. He breaks down the strategy behind this groundbreaking legal battle, explains how past international litigation inspired their case against Total, and explores what a victory would mean for global corporate accountability at a time when the 1.5°C warming threshold is slipping dangerously out of reach. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:21) Introducing Paul (02:21) First steps toward suing TotalEnergies (03:59) Who is TotalEnergies? (05:14) France's Corporate Duty of Vigilance Law (08:40) International legal landscape (10:24) The ICJ advisory opinion's influence on the case (12:27) TotalEnergies accused of greenwashing (13:35) Scope 3 emissions (16:38) February's hearings (19:31) France's public prosecutor intervenes (21:10) What happens if the court rules against Total? (22:54) A new reality for corporate accountability?
May 15

What happens when the bedrock of US climate policy is wiped away?

For nearly two decades, the Endangerment Finding served as the legal bedrock of American climate policy, compelling the Environmental Protection Agency to treat carbon pollution as a threat to human survival. Today, that foundation is gone. Following the Trump administration's landmark repeal, the very framework used to regulate US emissions has vanished. In this episode of Climate Court Voices, Noah Perch-Ahern, an attorney at Greenberg Glusker LLP, joins us to break down the fallout, from the firestorm of litigation hitting the courts to the sudden, high-stakes shift toward a patchwork of state-level regulations. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (02:23) A landmark Supreme Court ruling changes everything (06:50) The Endangerment Finding changes everything (09:37) Trump announces the "biggest deregulation action in US history" (11:12) Legal challenges pile up (13:22) What happens now? (20:33) What happens to the EPA without the Endangerment Finding? (22:38) Can states step in?
Mar 4

The accountability decade: tracing the evolution of climate litigation

In 2015, a Dutch court became the first in the world to order a government to take stronger action on climate. Since then, climate litigation has evolved into a global accountability system used by private actors, civil society and individuals locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to hold governments and corporate polluters accountable. In this episode of Climate Court Voices, Lucy Maxwell, Co-Director of the Climate Litigation Network, helps us understand how a surge in climate lawsuits in the past decade has forced governments to set clear rules for national climate action, influenced public opinion, and reshaped how investors and regulators perceive climate risk. She discusses key court battles and the legal building blocks they have established, how corporate climate litigation is beginning to catch up, and what cases we should look out for in 2026. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:38) The world's top court rules on climate (03:21) Introducing Lucy (04:20) The meaning of the Urgenda case (07:15) New legal building blocks (11:53) The rise of corporate climate litigation (15:12) Pushback and progress in corporate litigation (19:27) What happens when rulings are ignored? (23:42) Where is climate litigation heading? (25:43) Cases to look out for in 2026
Feb 2

How a group of elderly Swiss women proved that climate protection is a basic human right

In 2016, the KlimaSeniorinnen – an association of over 2,000 senior Swiss women – launched a legal challenge against their government, alleging that inadequate climate policies violated their fundamental human rights. After years of dismissals in domestic courts, the group secured a landmark victory at the European Court of Human Rights in April 2024. The ruling was unprecedented, marking the first time an international court has recognized that state climate inaction constitutes a human rights violation. In this episode of Climate Court Voices, we sit down with Elisabeth Stern, a cultural anthropologist and board member of KlimaSeniorinnen. Elisabeth shares the group's journey from grassroots organization to legal pioneers, detailing the dismissals they faced at home and the ongoing uphill battle to ensure the Swiss government turns this historic judgment into tangible climate action. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:37) Who is Elisabeth Stern? (04:27) KlimaSeniorinnen v Swiss government (06:35) Bringing their case to Europe's top human rights court (10:16) Court finds human rights violations (13:15) Breaking down the verdict (14:23) Overwhelming support abroad (16:16) Dismissal at home (18:15) Struggle for accountability (21:10) Outreach efforts (23:25) A blueprint for future climate court cases
12/15/2025

What happens when the US awards $20 billion in climate grants, and then wants them back?

In April 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Biden administration awarded $20 billion in grants to eight organizations tasked with financing thousands of clean energy and other climate projects across the country, especially in low-income and disadvantaged communities. But that work was abruptly halted when the new Trump-appointed EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, froze the funds in February, claiming the program was riddled with waste and fraud. In this episode of Climate Court Voices, we speak with Brooke Durham, Director of Communications for Climate United, one of the eight companies to be awarded the grant. She talks about the projects her organization had begun funding with the EPA grant and the ongoing uphill battle to unfreeze it. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:29) What is Climate United? (02:47) Receiving the EPA grant (03:48) The projects the grant would have helped finance (05:05) The new Trump administration takes office (06:10) EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announces freeze with a video on X (09:00) Climate United reacts to the video (09:23) Understanding Zeldin's accusations (11:19) Climate United sues the EPA, Zeldin and Citibank (12:32) What the freeze meant for Climate United (15:52) Dozens of projects in limbo (17:28) An ongoing legal battle (21:35) What happens when the US government wants its money back?
10/17/2025

These young climate activists took Montana to court and won. Now they’re going after Trump

In June 2023, 16 young people made history in the US as their lawsuit against the state of Montana became the first youth-led constitutional case to reach trial. They argued that Montana's permissive approach to approving fossil fuel projects violated their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. They won. Now, some of these young activists are taking on Trump. In this episode of Climate Court Voices, we speak with Rikki Held – lead plaintiff on the Held v Montana case and a plaintiff in a new lawsuit against the Trump administration, and Nate Bellinger – senior staff attorney at our Children's Trust, the non-profit law firm behind the two climate lawsuits. They discuss the increasing role of youth in climate litigation battles and how the US has changed under the second Trump administration. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:38) Climate change in Montana (06:16) Held v Montana (07:57) Going to trial (11:47) Young plaintiffs score historic win (14:06) Appeal and second victory (15:05) US climate policy under Trump (18:57) Trump is bringing back coal (19:36) Lighthiser v Trump (22:53) Case dismissed and appeal (24:26) Rule of law under Trump (27:29) Role of youth in climate litigation (29:40) Rikki's advice for young climate activists
08/28/2025

Behind the scenes of South Korea's first climate court victory - Sejong Youn

In 2019, 19 young activists sued the South Korean government over its inaction on climate change. Five years later, they achieved the impossible: the Constitutional Court of Korea declared the government's climate plan unconstitutional and insufficient for protecting the rights of its citizens. It was the first climate litigation ruling of its kind outside of Europe. In this episode of Climate Court Voices, we speak with Sejong Youn, the attorney behind what became known as the Korean Litigation Case. A lawyer by profession, he is also the co-founder and director of Plan 1.5, a non-profit organization that advocates for better and stronger climate policy in South Korea. He discusses how this youth-led effort is advancing the country's climate action movement, the challenges of working on the country's first-ever climate court case, and the critical role of legal precedents in furthering global climate litigation. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (03:17) Plaintiffs' arguments (04:51) Preparing the case (07:36) The first major victory (08:03) How the youth led Korea's climate movement (11:33) Verdict (15:04) Lobbying the government and political crisis (17:14) An important legal precedent (19:48) Sejong's thoughts on climate litigation
07/19/2025

How a group of students brought climate change to the world's top court - Vishal Prasad

On July 23, 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will present its long-awaited advisory opinion on the obligations of states regarding climate change. The court was asked to clarify the legal duties of countries under international law to protect the climate system and address the impacts of climate change, particularly for present and future generations. 29-year-old Vishal Prasad has been part of the ICJ advisory opinion movement since 2019. Born and raised in Fiji, one of 14 Pacific small island developing states, Vishal is Director of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, the youth-led movement behind the ICJ advisory opinion campaign. In this episode of Climate Court Voices, he explains what it means to be a Fijian, how he got into climate activism, why an advisory opinion is the best instrument to hold governments accountable, and what we can expect from the court's decision. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:46) Climate change in the Pacific (06:05) ICJAO campaign (07:29) Why an advisory opinion? (10:22) Hearings in The Hague (13:23) Questions for the ICJ (14:51) Divisions between developed and developing countries (19:49) Expectations and what's next? (23:10) Vishal's message for climate activists

9 Episodes

Climate Court Voices is a podcast dedicated to shedding light on pivotal climate litigation battles worldwide and amplifying the voices of those at the forefront of climate justice and environmental activism. Scripted and produced by Martina Igini.

Creator

Climate Court Voices
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

9
Rating

Clean
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© Climate Court Voices
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Climate Court Voices