Climate Litigation News and Case Updates | August 17-21, 2026

This page tracks the latest climate litigation news, including key rulings, new filings, and procedural developments from courts around the world. The Climate Court Litigation Tracker covers climate lawsuits, environmental and biodiversity cases, greenwashing claims, and corporate climate accountability litigation.

Updates are organised by the date rulings and/or updates were added to the Litigation Tracker. If you are looking for earlier updates and archived coverage, those are all available in the Resources section.

August 17

United States:

• Oil Companies Ask First Circuit to Uphold Dismissal of Puerto Rico Climate RICO Case: Climate deception, fossil fuel accountability, climate RICO litigation

  
  

• Delaware Water Utility Sues Nine Companies Over PFAS Treatment Costs: PFAS pollution, corporate accountability, remediation costs

August 18

Germany:

• Environmental Groups Challenge €33 Billion German Gas-Plant Subsidy Scheme: Fossil-fuel subsidies, EU state-aid law, energy transition

United States:

• Youth Seek to Defend California’s Vehicle Emissions Rules from Federal Preemption: Youth climate rights, vehicle emissions, federal preemption

  
  

• D.C. Circuit Upholds Superfund Designation of PFOA and PFOS: PFAS regulation, superfund liability, polluter pays principle

• Environmental Groups Challenge First Deep-Sea Mining Lease Sale in U.S. Waters: Deep-sea mining, marine biodiversity, Endangered Species Act

August 19

Netherlands:

• VU Law Students Challenge RWE’s Climate-Neutral Biomass Claims: Greenwashing, biomass emissions, climate-neutrality claims

August 20

United States:

• EDF Sues Trump Administration Over Planned Dismantling of Federal Climate Research Center: Climate science, federal agency action, administrative law

  
  

• Federal Court Orders New Climate Review of Utah Coal Mine Expansion: Coal mining, greenhouse gas assessment, NEPA

  
  

August 21

Climate litigation updates to be added here soon.

Subscribers can access detailed case analyses, original pleadings, and real-time updates through the Climate Court Litigation Tracker. As climate litigation increasingly influences corporate conduct, regulation, and climate-risk governance, timely legal insight is essential for practitioners, businesses, investors, civil society, and policymakers.