Climate Litigation News Updates | December 22-26, 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 22

United States:

• Mercedes-Benz Agrees to Nearly $150 Million Settlement Over Emissions-Cheating Software: diesel defeat devices, emissions fraud, multi-state enforcement.

  
  

• Environmental and Community Groups Sue to Overturn Trump Exemptions Shielding Coke Ovens from Air Toxics Rules: Clean Air Act, hazardous air pollutants, steel industry.

December 23

Australia:

• NSW Court Convicts Delta Electricity Over Lake Macquarie Mass Fish Kill: water pollution, coal power plant, criminal liability.

United States:

• NRDC and Allies Sue Trump Administration Over Blanket Exemptions for Coke Oven Air Pollution Rules: Clean Air Act, hazardous air toxics, coke ovens.

  
  

• Federal Judge Rejects Cruise Industry Bid to Block Hawaii’s New Cruise Tax: tourism taxation, state revenue, environmental resilience.

  
  

• Montana Supreme Court Rejects Youth Climate Case, Sends Challenge to Lower Courts: youth climate litigation, procedural dismissal, state courts.

  
  

• Environmental Groups Ask Ninth Circuit to Block Federal Permit Allowing Restart of Refugio Oil Spill Pipeline: pipeline safety, offshore oil, federal permitting.

December 24

No updates recorded.

December 25

Netherlands:

• Dutch Foundation Sues Tata Steel for €1.4 Billion in Landmark Mass Environmental Damages Claim: mass tort litigation, industrial pollution, environmental health damages.

December 26

No updates recorded.

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.