Canadian Municipalities Climate Change Litigation and Oil Gas Companies

Cheryl Woodin, Laura Gill, Michael Theroux and Rebecca Taylor write in JWN Energy on how Vancouver City Council recently passed a motion to fund a proposed class action against various oil & gas companies to recover costs associated with climate change. This may signal that Canadian courts could soon be asked to rule in litigation by local governments over climate change-related costs.

They look at what's driving the Vancouver motion, developments in the United States and internationally—and how time will tell whether Canadian municipalities will advance climate change litigation against oil and gas companies and whether Canadian courts will certify climate change.