The legality of the United States’ withdrawal from the UNFCCC
On Wednesday, 7th January 2026, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, published a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organisations, including, among them, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Landmark verdict in Luciano Lliuya v. RWE AG: German court dismisses claim while opening door for corporate climate accountability
Introduction On 28 May 2025, the Hamm Higher Regional Court handed down the final verdict in one of the world’s most closely watched climate change cases: Luciano Lliuya v. RWE AG. It
ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: determining States obligations beyond the UNFCCC
As climate litigation becomes increasingly more frequent, the case that has the potential to influence and inform all future cases has just begun its final stages of deliberation. The International Court of
Conclusion of Bonn Climate Negotiations
With over 8,000 participants, the Bonn Climate Conference, held between June 3rd and 13th, was seen as an important indicator of progress on key issues, such as finance, mitigation ambition and implementing
New App version and briefing paper on Article 6
While climate negotiators are beginning to gather in Bonn for the 56th session of the UNFCCC subsidiary bodies and their pre-conference coordination meetings, we have just released the new version of our
What to expect at the next UNFCCC meeting in Bonn?
While the annual global climate conferences (the so called “COPs”) are extensively covered by the world’s media, the meetings of the two technical bodies – the Subsidiary Bodies for Scientific and Technological
The Russian aggression and the climate negotiation process
The military action by the Russian Federation in and against the Ukraine is a flagrant violation of international law. It harms and threatens the lives and security of millions of people and
2 weeks at the Glasgow climate conference
The annual international climate conferences – usually referred to as COPs – appear to follow a common and by now predictable script: First, there is general acknowledgement of the crisis, hope and
LRI at the climate conference in Glasgow
There is a team of LRI lawyers in Glasgow that provide hands-on legal support to delegates from poor and climate vulnerable developing countries. While the media focus on big political announcements and
Two new briefing papers!
In the lead-up to the climate conference in Glasgow, LRI has published two new briefing papers. Authored by two lawyers – one from the Global South, the other from the Global North,
LRI volunteers share reflections on the SB52 virtual meeting
The 52nd sessions of the UNFCCC subsidiary bodies met over the period 31 May to 17 June 2021. This was the first meeting since COP25 in December 2019 and, in the light
Binding unilateral declarations on mitigation NDCs?
A slightly shorter version of this commentary was initially published on 27 May through the Climate Law Blog of the Sabin Centre for Climate Change Law at http://blogs.law.columbia.edu In 1978, during a
