Climate Litigation News Updates | December 15-19, 2025

The latest climate litigation news and case developments are added on a rolling basis to the Climate Court litigation tracker, giving you continuous access to the most important climate lawsuits, environmental protection disputes, biodiversity cases, and climate-related litigation worldwide. Our global database brings together expert case summaries, primary court documents, judicial decisions, and live updates from national and international courts.

Whether you follow corporate climate accountability claims, challenges to government climate policy, or climate-related human rights litigation, Climate Court helps you stay ahead of the legal developments shaping climate and environmental law.

Below you’ll find this week’s latest climate litigation updates, organised by day to make it easy to track the most recent filings, rulings, and procedural milestones. This page is refreshed daily as new climate cases emerge across jurisdictions. For earlier coverage, you can explore prior weeks on our Resources page.

December 15

France:

• BLOOM Files Ethics Complaint Against EU Omnibus Rapporteur Over Alleged Conflicts of Interest and Foreign Influence: EU deregulation, conflict of interest, foreign interference

December 16

Germany:

• German Environmental Aid Files Criminal Charges After Major Oil Spill on Rostock–Schwedt Pipeline: oil spill, criminal liability, pipeline safety

United States:

• Texas Nonprofits and City Sue FERC Over Approval of Rio Grande LNG Terminal and Pipeline, Citing Public Health and Environmental Violations: LNG infrastructure, air pollution, NEPA compliance

December 17

France:

• NGOs Put Compagnie Fruitière on Notice Under France’s Duty of Vigilance Law Over Alleged Abuses in Cameroon: corporate due diligence, human rights, supply-chain accountability

Indonesia:

• Indonesian Constitutional Court Hears Petition to Make Environmental and Climate Education Mandatory Nationwide: environmental governance, climate awareness, constitutional review

United States:

• Texas Targets Utility Over Smokehouse Creek Fire, Framing Infrastructure Failure as Public Safety Crisis: wildfire liability, utility negligence, climate-exacerbated risk, climate adaptation

• U.S. Government Backs Oil Industry at Supreme Court in Louisiana Coastal Damage Fight: coastal erosion, federal jurisdiction, fossil fuel liability

• Environmental Groups Sue Trump Administration Over Freeze on $2.5 Billion EV Charging Fund: clean transportation, administrative law, climate mitigation

December 18

Japan:

• Plaintiffs Allege Japanese Government’s Climate Plan Violates Rights in First State Climate Compensation Lawsuit: constitutional climate rights, government inaction, Paris Agreement alignment

United States:

• Federal Judge Blocks Michigan’s Attempt to Shut Down Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline: pipeline safety preemption, federal–state authority, cross-border energy

December 19

Germany:

• German Environmental Aid Files Criminal Complaint Against Coal Firm MIBRAG Over Alleged Reporting Failures: corporate reporting, methane emissions, coal phase-out.

Switzerland:

• Swiss Court Clears Landmark Climate Case Against Holcim Brought by Indonesian Fishers: corporate liability, climate damages, transnational litigation.

United States:

• Environmental Groups Sue Louisiana Over Reissued Commonwealth LNG Permit, Citing Unlawful Process and Ignored Climate Impacts: LNG permitting, wetlands destruction, climate and environmental justice.

  
  

• D.C. Circuit to Rehear Case on EPA Authority to Freeze $20 Billion in Federal Climate Grant Funding: EPA authority, climate finance, Inflation Reduction Act.

  
  

• Conservation Groups Sue Trump Administration Over Rollback of Public Participation in Public Lands Decisions: NEPA, public participation, fossil fuel development.

  
  

• Pennsylvania Youth Challenge Permit for Nation’s Largest Gas-Fired Power Plant, Citing Constitutional Climate Rights Violations: youth climate rights, gas power plant, state constitution.

  
  

• Environmental Groups Challenge Trump Administration’s Repeated “Emergency” Orders Keeping Michigan Coal Plant Running: energy emergency powers, coal plant retirement, grid reliability.

  
  

• Groups Signal Lawsuit Over Arctic Refuge Oil Leasing and Harm to Polar Bears: Arctic drilling, endangered species, ESA compliance.

All of this week’s climate litigation updates are available in full in the Climate Court litigation tracker, where subscribers can access in-depth summaries, original court filings, and real-time tracking of climate and environmental lawsuits from around the world.

Monitoring climate litigation is increasingly vital for businesses, legal professionals, NGOs, investors, and policymakers, as court decisions now directly influence corporate sustainability strategies, regulatory compliance, and climate risk management. Staying informed allows companies to anticipate legal exposure, enables lawyers and consultants to guide clients effectively, and helps the wider public follow how climate litigation is driving accountability and environmental justice worldwide.