Climate activists bombard courts with lawsuits against oil executives

The US had the highest number of ongoing climate lawsuits, with a total of 1,745. Another 129 lawsuits were filed in America last year. There are 132 cases in Australia.

The report comes on the eve of the UK’s largest environmental case to date, concerning the collapse of the Fundão dam in southeastern Brazil in 2015, which is operated by the British mining company BHP.

The disaster killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. 700,000 plaintiffs are suing BHP for £36 billion in damages.

The case is due to be heard in London’s High Court in October and is likely to set precedents that will pave the way for numerous other climate litigation.

The study follows a Supreme Court ruling last month in a separate case, in which environmental activist Sarah Finch stood trial alone. The ruling ordered that planning authorities must now take into account the emissions created by burning the fossil fuels produced when planning new drilling sites.

The ruling has left the British industry in turmoil, raising uncertainty about whether it will ever be able to develop an oil or gas field again, and is likely to put a final stop to the prospects for fracking in the UK.

The Telegraph asked Britain’s two largest oil and gas companies, Shell and BP, and industry association Offshore Energies UK for comment. They all declined to respond.

Emma Montlake of the Environmental Law Foundation, which advocates for climate litigation, expects an increase in lawsuits against energy companies and governments.

She said: “With climate chaos, sea level rise and other impacts becoming increasingly worse, more and more people will be asking how those who knew about the impacts of burning fossil fuels but concealed their conclusions can get legal redress.”